


This is Home

by TheJiffyLube6



Category: Chronicles of Narnia (Movies), Chronicles of Narnia - All Media Types, Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis
Genre: Alternate Ending, F/M, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-09
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2019-03-28 22:21:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 16
Words: 34,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13913373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheJiffyLube6/pseuds/TheJiffyLube6
Summary: What if Aslan allowed King Caspian to go back with Lucy and Edmund to England at the end of The Voyage of the "Dawn Treader?" Will Susan still have feelings for him and how will he cope with the new adventure of living in 1940's England?





	1. The Very End of the World

_**Chapter 1: The Very End of the World** _

It had been three years. Three long, lonely years and he still thought of her every day. Caspian couldn't understand how one girl- _woman_ \- could have cast such a spell on him in the matter of weeks he had known her. Yet, that short time with Susan was all he needed, one kiss was all it took, and he would never forget her. When he saw her walk out of Narnia he couldn't help the selfish thoughts that consumed him. He wanted to hold her and keep her with him, but these thoughts were always followed by gut-wrenching guilt. How could he keep her from her family? Her home?

King Caspian the Tenth was currently having his daily reminisces of Queen Susan the Gentle while standing at the bow of the _Dawn Treader_. Watching the ship's course, this was the only real time he had alone for his thoughts. He had been very glad that King Edmund and Queen Lucy had come back to Narnia, yet throughout the journey it also served as a reminder that he may never see their older sister again. He had made it his mission to keep Lucy and Edmund safe ever since they appeared out of nowhere in the Eastern Sea. He figured if he could not be near Susan then he wanted to at least protect the only piece of her he could: her family.

Just thinking of Susan was a double-edged sword though; remembering when she kissed him brought him so much joy but he was always reminded they could never be together which hurt more than he ever thought possible. He sighed, and then realized what he must do.

Slowly turning from the beautiful sight of the endless sea of white lilies they had just come across, Caspian made his way down the length of the ship and called his men to the stern so he could speak to them all.

Reepicheep had already been promised that he could go to World's End, but Caspian wanted to go with him as well. The thought that he could be reunited with Susan gave him so much hope even if it wouldn't be in this world; he had to try. Even if Aslan sent him back; just the thought of looking into her bright sapphire eyes one more time was enough for him to give up his title of King of Narnia, his life, everything.

Clearing his throat and mustering up his courage, he addressed his crew, "Friends, we have now fulfilled the quest on which you have embarked. I entrust this ship over to you, Lord Drinian, upon your return to Cair Paravel I trust that you, Master Cornelius, Trufflehunter, and Trumpkin will choose a King of Narnia-"

"But Sire, are you abdicating?" Captain Drinian asked incredulously, not believing what his sovereign was saying.

"I am going with Reepicheep to the World's End." Caspian stated simply trying to keep his cool. Edmund and Lucy had stepped forward and were watching the king's speech silently until this moment.

"You can't do this." Edmund said fiercely. He and his brother and sisters had worked too hard to get him the throne and he was just going to give it up? "Or have you forgotten all those who fought and died for you to be king?"

Caspian was livid, how dare he say things like that? Of course, he remembered the battles they went through for him, yet deep down Caspian knew Edmund had a point. His hope of seeing Susan again was blinding him to his duties, but how could he carry on much longer without her? How could Aslan be so cruel as to let them, dare he say, fall in love and then rip them apart?

"Have you forgotten those who died to save your soul, King Edmund?" Caspian roared referring to Aslan's sacrifice all those years ago. He realized he had hit a nerve in the young king, so Caspian stomped down to his cabin and slammed the door so he didn't have to see Edmund's hurt expression.

After a few minutes of pacing his room he had calmed down quite a bit and let his words catch up with him. He knew he had been out of line and regretted what he said; Edmund had only wanted him to see reason. Caspian no longer wanted to see reason though; he only wished to see Susan. Defeated he sank down onto his four poster bed resting his elbows on his knees and held his face in his hands.

After a few moments he collected his thoughts and resigned himself once again to his fate: an eternity without his love. He stood up and made his way to the door when he noticed the eyes of the lion on his bed's headboard were following him. He quickly turned around to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him and sure enough those piercing eyes were looking directly at him. Could it be...?

"Aslan?" Caspian gasped. All at once the entire Lion's head came to life and looked sternly at the King of Narnia.

"Yes, it is I." Aslan said and immediately Caspian fell to his knees beside the bed. "Rise, for I have much to say and very little time in which to say it." Caspian looked up and quickly rose to his feet.

"These past few years you have been a great king to your people and recovered some of the glory to Narnia as it was in the Golden Age, but you have not been happy." Caspian looked down shamefully. He knew he should be more thankful, hundreds of people would die-or kill- to be king and yet he could not be content with his position.

"Even I cannot predict all that happens in the future, but I do believe you could have much to learn from the Pevensie's world." Did he just hear him correctly? Would Aslan really allow him to reunite with his dear Susan? He tried to squash these hopes that were coming fast for they always turned out to be painful, but he could not. Caspian's dark eyes looked into Aslan's yellow, lamp-like ones and saw he was completely serious.

"Oh Aslan, could I really see that world? Eustace tells me it is round, is that true? How exactly does that work? Does...uhm...what I mean to say is...uh...is Susan-" Caspian found that he could hardly speak with the excitement coursing through his body. Aslan let out a low growl which Caspian had learned was his way of laughing.

"All will be answered in good time, young King. You shall take Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace with you but you will not be going to the End of the World. Reepicheep will also go with you as you promised and he will be going to World's End." Aslan explained patiently.

"But sir, how will we know where to go?" At this point Caspian was trembling all over with the very thought of being with Susan again and seeing this wonderful world he had heard so much about.

"Trust me, you will know. You won't be led astray. May you find what you are looking for, King Caspian. Remember, once a king of Narnia, always a king of Narnia." With that the lion's face froze back into the wood of the headboard. This left Caspian breathing heavily and hardly believing what had just transpired.

He ran back out onto the deck, anxious to tell everyone the wonderful news. Quickly, he found Lucy gazing at the lilies and he ran to her.

"I have just spoken with Aslan!" Caspian's eyes were wide with excitement and Lucy could not remember the king showing this much emotion the entire voyage.

"Here? Oh, has he gone already? What did he say?" Lucy replied equally as excited as Caspian at the mere mention of the great lion.

"He appeared in my room; well his head did for he is much too big to fit in my small cabin. He said I am to go with you and Edmund and Eustace to your world! We are going to take the boat and sail towards World's End and let Reepicheep off and then he will show us where to go!" Caspian was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Oh, Caspian this is wonderful!" Lucy hugged him tightly around his middle. She was so happy that she could finally take a piece of Narnia back with her. Also, she knew Susan would be practically euphoric when she saw him. Susan had not been herself since returning from Narnia the second time. All of her siblings had tried to snap her out of it but she understood that there was nothing any of them could do; only a certain dark haired king could. Currently, as far as Lucy knew, Susan was in America with their parents who were there on business and had no idea when they were getting back. It would be quite a shock when she returned though.

Lucy released Caspian and looked up at him. Her face mirrored his for they both had silly, happy grins on their faces. Lucy wanted her older sister to be happy and she knew that is exactly what Caspian wanted as well.

"We must hurry and get Ed and Eustace!" Normally Lucy would be distraught that she was leaving Narnia, but it was different this time. She knew Peter would be happy to see Caspian as well. They hadn't always agreed but in the end they had gained each other's respect and even friendship. Lucy's thoughts were interrupted when she saw Caspian's forlorn expression. What could he possibly be sad about? She could be quite insightful for her age, contrary to popular belief.

"What is the matter? Aren't you excited?" Lucy said contemplating whether he needed another hug; that always made her feel better.

"Oh very much so, Lucy, but it's just...the things I said to Edmund..." Caspian trailed off unable to finish. His head was bowed in shame and his long, dark hair fell in front of his eyes. Lucy deemed another hug was necessary and wrapped her arms around him once again the way she might hug Peter when he was worried about his exams or school.

"Caspian, Edmund has already forgiven you. He was never really mad. You have to understand what he went through with the White Witch. He has never really forgiven himself for what he has done, even though we never blamed him." Lucy said into his rough tunic, but he heard every word. Caspian looked down at the little queen and smirked.

"When did you get so smart?" Caspian couldn't believe this girl, who he had come to think of as a sister, could explain everything so simply. Why didn't people listen to her more often? She always seemed to be right.

"Thank you, Lucy" Caspian said looking down at her fondly and letting her go. "I think we should go round up Edmund, Eustace, and Reepicheep and begin the next part of this quest."

They explained everything to the crew and once they heard that it was Aslan's will (they believed him for their king was many things but he was not a liar) that Caspian go, they agreed. They were just lowering the boat with Caspian, Edmund, Eustace, Lucy, and Reepicheep and rowing away when Caspian turned to Edmund.

"Edmund, about earlier-" Caspian began with the intent to apologize for his uncalled for comment but Edmund interrupted him.

"Please, forget it. We both were out of line. It's ok." Edmund said smiling at Caspian showing all was well between them. Caspian smiled back and nodded to him. All was forgiven, that's all it takes sometimes.

Caspian rowed them through the lilies and they ran aground and Reepicheep departed saying this was where he would go alone and walked away after saying his good-bye's (and Lucy managed to hug him finally). The rest of them continued on and they came to a wall of water so they got out of the boat and waded beside it as they came to shallower waters until finally they were on dry land. They continued walking, never doubting where they were going, but somehow just knowing where to go.

Eventually, they came upon Aslan himself. Lucy and Edmund were thrilled, but Eustace kind of hung back unsure of approaching a huge lion.

"Oh Aslan, are you truly going to send Caspian with us back to our world?" Lucy asked gently running her fingers through Aslan's mane.

"Yes, but now it is time for you all to get going." In that instant the sky looked as if it was being torn and blinding white light came through. The very next instant they were all back at Eustace's house, where Lucy and Edmund had been staying before they were pulled into Narnia through the painting. They all looked around in amazement, especially Caspian who was ready to learn anything and everything about this world and see Susan as soon as possible.

"This is...I can't explain...it's..." Caspian was at a loss for words looking at this strange place they were in.

Eustace, who had changed much throughout their journey, turned to Caspian and smiled, "Well, this is home."


	2. An Unexpected Meeting

_**Chapter 2: An Unexpected Meeting** _

It had been one year. One long, lonely year and she still thought of him every day. Susan had never been the type of girl to get caught up in trivial matters such as boyfriends and make-up and all the other things girls her age seemed to enjoy. Living as a queen for fifteen years of her life in the world of Narnia might have had something to do with that. Yet, somehow on her last visit a certain King of Narnia had turned her world upside down and now she couldn't get him out of her head, not that she really wanted to.

Susan leaned against the rail as the ocean liner cut through the choppy waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Her parents had finished their business in America a few days ago, and they were almost back to England. Her parents couldn't afford to take one of the new commercial airplanes for their trip, so they had settled for an ocean liner. She preferred this method of travel anyway. She had never been on a ship before and she didn't know if she was completely comfortable with the idea of flying across a huge ocean.

The wind blew through her long hair and she breathed in deeply the salty air from the ocean. She had thought that a trip to America might take her mind off of Caspian and ease the pain in her heart from being separated from him, but it did neither. In fact it only served to remind her of how alone she really felt when she saw all of the American teenage girls with their boyfriends. She couldn't understand why she felt so alone when she had her whole family to be there for her. Yet, it was not quite the same. She had to admit that she had enjoyed this trip, but she longed to get home even though she knew she would never be truly home ever again.

* * *

"I don't quite understand what exactly it is I'm supposed to do with this" a confused Caspian said in his thick Mediterranean-like accent as he held a pair of suspenders in his hands.

Upon their return Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace had appeared, as always, as they appeared before they were drawn into Narnia, but Caspian remained in his tunic and leggings he was wearing in Narnia. They had panicked for a moment but it really made sense if they had thought about it. Whenever they appeared in Narnia they always appeared in their regular clothes, so why wouldn't Caspian appear in their world wearing his normal clothes?

Fearing that Uncle Harold and Aunt Alberta, Eustace's parents, would come any moment, they quickly went through Uncle Harold's clothes to find Caspian something to wear. Edmund and Eustace's clothes would have been much too small since in the last three years (in Narnian time) Caspian had really grown and become a man.

They had found a light blue long-sleeve, button-up shirt and some gray trousers which fit fairly well, but they seemed to be having trouble making him look believable as a young Brit. Edmund looked over at Caspian and suppressed a laugh as he tried to tie the suspenders around his waist like a belt over his shirt as he would have done with his tunics back in Narnia.

"It's okay. You don't have to wear these, and you might want to tuck in your shirt." Eustace chuckled as he took the suspenders and put them back in his dad's closet. Lucy felt bad for Caspian; he looked awfully uncomfortable with everything. She could understand completely, being in a new place is a little scary; they had all had been a bit nervous too when they had first gone to Narnia.

"Light blue is Susan's favorite color, you know." Lucy said innocently to Caspian in an attempt to ease his mind. He immediately perked up and hurriedly tucked his shirt in.

"How's this?" Caspian asked nervously, all of sudden concerned about his appearance at the mention of Susan. Unfortunately he had tucked it in too far so that he looked a little silly and he had buttoned it all the way to the top so he could hardly breathe. Edmund stifled a chuckle and showed him how he was supposed to tuck it in and told him that he didn't need to button all the buttons. They were just about to discuss the problem of his long hair when they heard footsteps on the stairs. All of a sudden Aunt Alberta appeared in the doorway and gasped.

"Oh my goodness, you children scared me. What are you doing in- oh hello! Who is your friend here?" Alberta had finally noticed their long-haired friend standing behind them shyly. Caspian was unsure if he should respond afraid he would say something to give himself away or get in trouble. The other children panicked, they hadn't had time to think of a plausible story for Caspian yet. Luckily, Eustace recovered rather quickly.

"Uh this is our new friend, Caspian. He's uh a foreign exchange student from uh Spain. Yes, Madrid, in fact. We just met him at the park today." Eustace replied a tad bit too fast but Alberta didn't seem to notice that anything was up.

"Oh well that's lovely, dear." She didn't seem sure whether she should address Caspian or not since she was not sure if he could speak English. "If you'd like, your friend can stay for dinner. Oh yes, Edmund and Lucy, I almost forgot. Your parents will be here tomorrow morning to pick you up so make sure you're all packed. Anyway, dinner will be ready in an hour. Don't forget to wash up." With that Alberta went back downstairs and left them alone again and they all breathed a collective sigh of relief. Edmund grinned and turned to Eustace.

"Madrid?"

* * *

Susan and her parents had finally docked at Southampton Seaport and gotten their luggage. They made their way to the street with every intention of catching a cab and taking the train back to London, but they soon found out that it was completely unnecessary.

"Let me get that for you, miss" A strong male voice said grabbing her suitcase. Susan looked up and screamed.

"Peter!" Susan shouted giving her older brother a huge bear hug causing him to drop the suitcase as soon as he grabbed it. "I thought you would still be with Professor Kirke studying for your exams next term." She continued pulling back a little to look at up at him.

"I figured I could spare a little time to come save my family from a boring train ride." Peter said smiling as their parents approached them. His mom gave him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek and his father shook his hand and clapped him on the back.

"Wait. How did you get here?" Susan was a little afraid of the answer. Peter just grinned and looked over his shoulder. There sat a brand new automobile.

"Oh my! Peter, how..." His mother couldn't seem to finish her sentence as she looked at the amazing car. It was a black Austin 10; a car that was becoming pretty popular London these days. Susan let her hands glide across the shiny paint of the hood and turned to look at her brother in awe.

"Professor Kirke bought it for me, Mum. He said it was because I've been studying so hard and that I'd need a car to come visit my family once I'm accepted to Oxford." Peter grinned proudly and said teasingly, "Now, where are Edmund and Lucy? I need to gloat some more."

* * *

Caspian had hardly gotten any sleep that night. Eustace had convinced his parents to let Caspian spend the night, and the kids had stayed up half the night discussing their plans. They had to find a way to convince Edmund and Lucy's parents that Caspian should stay with them. After a while they finally decided it was time for bed, but even then Caspian could not sleep. Tomorrow he would see Susan. That thought alone was enough to fill his heart up with so much joy that he thought it might burst. He played the moment they would meet again over and over in his mind. What would he do? What would he say? Would she be just as excited to see him? Would her parents let him stay with them? His head was so muddled yet one image was clear in his mind and that was her radiant face.

Finally, they had all awoken and were eating breakfast at the kitchen table. Caspian couldn't control his nerves the entire meal. He kept looking around at Edmund and Lucy and tapping his feet nervously on the floor. Once Uncle Harold and Aunt Alberta had learned that Caspian could, in fact, speak English things were much less awkward for everyone. Lucy was just wiping her mouth with her napkin when they all heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway.

"They're here!" Lucy squealed and excused herself from the table quickly. Caspian's breath caught in his throat. Was he finally going to see his beautiful Susan after all of these years? Edmund and Caspian quickly excused themselves as well. Down the hall Caspian could hear the front door being opened and Lucy talking to whoever was there. Edmund had run on ahead as well, but Caspian was having trouble making his rebellious legs obey.

He finally managed to move forward and when he heard her voice. His heart had come to a dead stop and then began pounding harder than ever. He continued moving slowly forward though, afraid of it all being a dream. Aslan knows he had dreamt of this moment more times than he could count in the last three years.

The morning light filtered through the open door. Then he saw her. She looked exactly the same as he remembered her. Just as beautiful, just as elegant. She was wearing a simple gray skirt and white blouse but she had never looked more beautiful to him. He was temporarily distracted by the sight of her bare calves. Looking up, he saw she had not noticed him yet because she was talking rather animatedly with Lucy about something. Even if he had tried to listen to what they were talking about he wouldn't have understood. He was too preoccupied with gazing at her brown hair falling gently in front of her face as she looked down at Lucy. Her bright blue eyes were lit up as she spoke and the morning light played softly across the fair skin of her face. He had finally come close enough for her to notice him.

Susan noticed something moving in the corner of her eye but she let Lucy finish asking about her trip before she let her eyes slide upwards. Then she saw him. Her mouth parted slightly as she inhaled sharply. It couldn't be. Yet, it was. His long dark hair fell in front of his equally dark eyes as he gazed intensely at her. Her lungs contracted painfully reminding her to breathe and she finally released the breath she hadn't been aware she was holding.

Lucy turned to see what she was looking at and grinned. Then she noticed her parents coming in and mentally cursed their timing. They couldn't know that Susan and Caspian knew each other; it would ruin the entire plan. So, she did what she had to do.

Clearing her throat she stated loud enough for everyone to hear, "Susan meet Caspian."

Never taking his eyes off Susan's he let out a breathy, "Hello," too awestruck to say anything else. Looking into those chocolate brown eyes, she never thought she would see again, Susan could only manage a strangled,

"Hi."


	3. How All Were Very Busy

_**Chapter 3: How All Were Very Busy** _

"I am NOT sitting on anybody's lap," Edmund huffed as they were about to leave Eustace's house. For the last ten minutes, they had been trying to figure out how to get everyone back to their Finchley home without having to tie someone to the roof. Though tying Edmund to the roof was sounding more and more appealing as his manly ego was becoming too big to fit in the car.

The Pevensie kids had managed to convince their parents that Caspian was a Spanish foreign exchange student who had gotten lost in the system and no longer had a place to stay in England. They had been a bit hesitant to accept the long-haired stranger into their home but Lucy and Edmund somehow convinced them that Caspian could be trusted and desperately needed their help. Being the warm-hearted people that they were, they insisted he at least stay the night until they figured something out. The only problem was how they were all going to get home.

Peter's car was pretty big but it wasn't quite big enough for the entire Pevensie family plus Caspian to fit comfortably. Not only were there not enough seats, but the seats were also very narrow, too narrow to squeeze an extra person in them. Peter, of course, couldn't have anybody sit with him since he was driving and Edmund absolutely insisted on being difficult.

"Oh please, Ed. You couldn't sit on anyone's lap anyway; you'd squash them to death," Peter teased Edmund who was in fact immensely thin for his age (probably because he'd been laying off the Turkish Delight).

Peter wasn't completely sure how he felt about the sudden appearance of Caspian in their world. It was true Aslan has said that he and Susan would never return to Narnia but they had never mentioned Caspian never coming into theirs. Glancing over at Susan every once in a while, she trying to look inconspicuously at Caspian. Peter thought he should be happy for his sister; after all, she had been so miserable this past year. He couldn't help worrying about his sister. She had been devastated when she had to leave Caspian the first time and she hardly knew him. How would she survive when he left after they had completely fallen for one another? Peter had faith in Aslan though; the Great Lion had a reason for everything.

After much fussing and arguing they all climbed into the car. Their dad would sit in the front passenger seat with their mom in his lap. Lucy insisted on sitting with Edmund, whether she wanted to make Edmund uncomfortable or because she wanted Susan to be with Caspian, it was anyone's guess. The gleam in her eye made it seem more like the latter though in Susan's opinion. Caspian had a sneaking suspicion that Edmund was in on it too. It made far more sense for Lucy and Edmund, who were smaller and lighter, to sit in Caspian and Susan's laps. Not that he was complaining.

Caspian stood next to the car door where he had seen everyone else enter and offered his hand to Susan to help her in. She smiled and took his warm hand, but she didn't get in.

"This isn't like a horse, Caspian. You have to go first," Susan explained quietly, still not believing she was actually speaking to him. They had much to talk about later but with her parents and siblings there it was not the time or the place.

"Oh, I am sorry," he replied shyly but still smiling at her. This world was so much different than his own, and he had never felt so ignorant in his entire life. Blushing he released her hand reluctantly and slid into the strange metal machine. Shortly after, Susan slid in, carefully sat in his lap, and closed the door. It was quite a tight fit but Susan tried to sit up as straight as possible so as to not squish Caspian too much. Of course, fate would not have it that way, nor would Peter's lead foot.

"Everyone in?" Peter called back to them and not waiting for an answer, started the car and pulled roughly through driveway. He was still getting the hang of the whole clutch-thing but he did a pretty good job of it.

As soon as Peter had let out the clutch and put his foot down on the gas Susan had been jerked backwards into Caspian's chest. His immediate reaction was to grab hold of her waist to steady her, but the damage was done. She was leaning with her back flush against his chest and her heart was beating a million miles a minute at the close contact. She silently thanked her lucky stars that her parents were in the seat directly in front of them and couldn't see her blushing like mad. The only people who could see were Lucy and Edmund and they were giggling like little school girls as she shot them a death glare. At first, she sat very stiffly, not used to such intimate contact, but she eventually relaxed against him.

He had his arms wrapped around her middle to keep her secure, and because he himself was a little nervous about this automobile thing they were in. It didn't seem very safe to him but the others didn't seem to be too worried about it, yet he still clung tightly to Susan in his anxiousness. She had noticed the tenseness in his muscles and figured he must be nervous so she gently rested her arms on top of his around her waist. Relaxing a bit at her comforting gesture, Caspian rested his chin on her shoulder and just breathed in her intoxicating scent. This is what he had been waiting for all these years, to be like this with her. Not necessarily in a car (preferably not in his opinion), but just close to her always. If he had to brave a million car rides to be with her, then so be it.

* * *

They had eventually made it back to their home unscathed, but it was almost dinner-time so Peter, Susan, Edmund, Lucy, and Caspian all went upstairs to unpack and wash up while their mom got started on supper. The Pevensies' parents had looked sadly at Caspian who had no suitcase with him at all and seemingly no personal belongings at all.

Susan began to trudge up the stairs with her luggage, but Caspian would have none of it. Before she had gotten to the second step he had reached from behind her and gently tugged the suitcases out of her hands. Surprised, she turned and looked at him over her shoulder, with her being on the first step and he on the floor they were about eye level. His piercing gaze was melting her insides slowly and she was getting the same feeling as when she had left Narnia: the undeniable urge to just kiss him, to hell with everyone seeing. She had turned all the way around and was just starting to lean in closer to Caspian. Her eyes had slowly slid closed and they were so close that she could feel his warm breath on her cheek.

All of a sudden there was a loud bang from the front door. Caspian and Susan immediately jumped away from each other and looked towards the door. Peter had purposely dropped his heavy suitcases and was giving them both a reprimanding look.

"Peter! Please be careful!" His dad yelled from the living room.

"Sorry, Dad," Peter called back, not taking his eyes off of them as he picked his suitcases back up and trudged past them up the stairs. Susan looked away sheepishly; she really had to control herself. What had gotten into her? What would her parents think of her kissing a guy she had supposedly just met? She mentally scolded herself and continued up the stairs to her room, careful not to make eye contact with Caspian.

Caspian, on the other hand, was trying to catch his breath. This was going to harder than he thought. Pulling himself together, he was about to follow Susan when he noticed Lucy struggling with her large suitcase. Edmund was weighed down with his own luggage and Peter had already gone, so Caspian felt it was his duty to help the little queen who had helped him so much. He shifted both Susan's suitcases to his right hand and lifted Lucy's easily with his left hand.

"A queen should not have to carry her own luggage." Caspian said grinning down at Lucy who was red in the face from the effort of hauling that monstrous suitcase. She looked up and grinned at him.

"Show off," she huffed walking in front of him up the stairs and showing him where she and Susan shared a room. Susan was already in there looking around at her room which had remained unchanged. Susan turned and saw them and smiled as Caspian held both of their suitcases. Who said chivalry was dead?

"Oh yea, I just forgot that I...uh...have something very important to do. Bye!" Lucy said unconvincingly and ran out of the door and closing it. They were completely alone for the first time in...well...ever. Susan could hardly believe he was really here in her bedroom. Sure, he had been there plenty of times in her dreams but this was not a dream. At least, she hoped it wasn't. She slowly walked up to him where he was still standing in front of the closed door.

"How...?" Speech seemed to elude her whenever she was with him. She had so many questions to ask him, but they didn't seem that important anymore. He looked mildly uncomfortable being in her room alone with her. This was considered inappropriate where he came from, but Susan didn't seem to care.

"Aslan," was all Caspian could muster because at this point she was awfully close to him. All of sudden, she didn't really care how he got there. All she cared was that he was here with her.

Susan had come within arm's length of him, so she reached out gently placed a hand on his chest. His eyes followed as her hands ran up the rough material of his-or really Uncle Harold's- shirt. They continued their journey until they made it up to his hair, where she softly played with the dark locks.

Caspian's mind was temporarily not functioning properly. How could it when she was touching him? All thoughts of it being inappropriate to be alone with her in her bedroom flew out the window with his sanity. By this point her fingers had trailed down to his jaw as if she was trying to reacquaint herself with his features. This was becoming quite unbearable for him. They had just been reunited a couple of hours ago and even when they were in Narnia they had hardly known each other. Yet, that didn't seem to matter to either of them. Something was pulling them together and they were both becoming too weak to fight it.

Finally, he could not take this agony any longer. He gently wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. Her arms instinctively snaked around his neck and pulled his face down to her level. He hesitated for only a moment, just long enough to search her eyes for silent permission. Convinced she approved, he leaned in and brushed his lips softly against hers in a gentle kiss.


	4. What Lucy Saw

_**Chapter 4: What Lucy Saw** _

Some time in the last few seconds Susan had died and gone to heaven. Or at least that's what it felt like. This kiss was different than the one they had shared in Narnia. For one, _he_ kissed _her_ and that was enough to make her stomach feel like it was full of a thousand fluttering butterflies. It proved that he really did feel the same way for her as she felt for him. Secondly, there was no one there to bother them. They didn't have to worry what anyone thought, or endure anyone's teasing. Lastly, this kiss was so much slower and almost reverent. When Susan had kissed Caspian in Narnia she had assumed that she would probably never see him again, so it had been quick and on a gut instinct. Caspian was tenderly brushing his lips against hers, simply rediscovering the feeling of being with her and relishing every second. They now had the time to explore their feelings for one another, and neither of them was going to take it for granted.

After a few moments Caspian pulled back a little and rested his forehead against her shoulder with his eyes still closed. He just wanted to hang on to this moment for as long as he could. Slightly tightening his hold on her waist, he raised his face to look into her eyes. How did she do this to him? He had always considered himself to be rational, but the mere thought of Susan made him throw caution to the wind. She was the only one who could make him feel like this; as if he could brave anything from the End of the World to a simple car ride.

"Susan?" Caspian's thick accent cut through the silence.

"Mhmm?" She hummed from the comfy pillow of his shoulder.

"How long has it been?" He quietly asked, a little afraid of the answer. Susan still looked as radiant and beautiful as she had been when he first met her, but he just had to know how long it had been. At his inquiry, Susan raised her head from his shoulder so she could look into his eyes.

"One year. How long has it been in Narnia?" Susan knew that Narnia time was different but it never flowed in proportion to their world so it was hard to know how time passed between the worlds. Caspian still looked the same except it seemed to her that his shoulders had broadened a bit.

"Three years," He replied solemnly. Susan's eyebrows shot up in surprise. While, it was considerably shorter than last time (like 1,297 years shorter), it still seemed like an awfully long time to not be together. She had barely managed a year, how had he managed three? As if sensing her thoughts he just grinned at her and attempted to ease her mind.

"Yes, it was quite brutal, but somehow I managed it," Caspian said teasingly, tucking one of her rebellious dark locks behind her ear. Ironically that statement was far closer to the truth than he was willing to admit. Grinning at her as she rolled her eyes at him, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Unfortunately, at that moment there was a soft knock on the door and a voice called through the door.

"Hey, are you guys done in there? Dinner's ready." Lucy's voice called through the door.

"Yea, Lu, we'll be down in a second. We're just...talking." Susan called back to Lucy and blushing slightly, much to Caspian's amusement.

"Riiiiiight. Just hurry up before Peter figures out that Caspian has been there all this time." With that Lucy's footsteps could be heard walking down the hall. Slowly and reluctantly removing themselves from one other's embrace they prepared to head downstairs and pretend that they didn't know each other. Caspian looked down shamefully for a moment, thinking of what Lucy had said about Peter, and before he could open the door Susan took his hand and stopped him.

"Hey, what's the matter?" She asked looking up at him worriedly.

"I am sorry. I knew that it was inappropriate to be in your bedchamber without a chaperone." Caspian dejectedly shook his head as he mentally berated himself. He felt like he had somehow taken advantage of her, which was in fact ridiculous.

"Oh, please. This is the 1940's. Worse things have happened," Susan joked.

"By the way, try using contractions. They really save time." Smiling she leant up to give him a quick kiss on his currently pouting lips knowing full well that he probably had no idea what a contraction was. Without waiting to see his reaction, which was quite comical in his confusion, Susan made her way out and down the stairs to the dining room.

She walked in to see Peter setting up the table for all seven of them. It was going to be a tight fit but they would manage. He looked up at Susan a little disapprovingly, but continued laying out the plates. He was not unintelligent despite what Edmund thought. He knew what had been going on behind Susan's closed door, and he wasn't sure how much longer he was going to let this go on. This was Susan, _his_ little sister. He realized that she was practically a woman now, but that was no excuse for her irrational behavior. She had known Caspian all of month, if that, and yet she felt it was decent to let him into her bed room. _Alone_.

Peter honestly liked Caspian, really he did, but he was not going to let anyone hurt his family. Susan had always been logical and had been the one to look out for all of them, even when they didn't want or ask for it. She deserved someone to look after her for a change, and if Caspian didn't then he would have to deal with Peter.

Eventually everyone had made their way to the table and dinner was served. In order to prevent unwanted suspicion, Caspian made sure to sit a few seats away from Susan, however painful it may be for both of them. That didn't stop Lucy, who was sitting next to Caspian, to smile secretly at both of them between mouthfuls of mashed potatoes. She was so glad she was finally in the know, usually the older ones liked to keep her out of the loop because she was too "immature." However, it seemed she was proving to be the most mature of the whole lot. Feeling the need to make their guest feel welcome, the Pevensie's mom decided to strike up a conversation with Caspian.

"So, Caspian- Am I pronouncing that right?" at his nod of confirmation, she continued, "what part of Spain are you from?"

The same thought popped into all four Pevensie children's minds: _Bloody hell!_

Without thinking Caspian replied, "Telmar." Then there was a loud "clang" as Edmund dropped his fork on his plate in shock. While everyone looked at the source of the noise Caspian realized his mistake. Caspian's heart stopped and his palms began to sweat, how could he have been such a fool? His mouth had become painfully dry so he quickly took a gulp of tea in order to buy himself some time to recover.

"Hmm I'm not familiar with that region. Where exactly is that?" She asked genuinely interested which made it all the worse for him. He thought quickly, what had been that place Eustace had said? Oh man, he was sinking and none of the Pevensie's could save him without looking suspicious.

"Uh it is just outside of...," his mind was racing, trying to think of that name and then it finally clicked, "Madreeed." Luckily, his thick accent covered up his poor pronunciation of the name.

"Oh! We've always wanted to take a holiday there, but have never gotten around to it. I hear it's lovely though. How do you like London so far?" Finally, a question he could actually answer without going into temporary paralysis.

"It is wonderful, but I hope to see more. It seems so different from where I come from. It is almost like coming to a whole new world, really." Susan snorted into her glass at the irony of that remark and everyone looked over at her. Clearing her throat and wiping the smirk off of her face, she mumbled an apology.

"I apologize for the rudeness of our children; they are not used to having guests in the house." Their mom said giving Susan and Edmund warning looks. Ah, if she only knew exactly how polite Susan had been to their guest.

"What did you hope to learn by visiting England, Caspian?" their father quickly asked trying to control the situation. This question was a little hard to answer as well, but it all of sudden reminded why Aslan had let him come here in the first place. He had said that Caspian could learn much in this world, but the Great Lion never revealed exactly what it was.

"Well, uh mainly the customs and traditions of your people. I hear they are not so different than ours and from what I have seen thus far I believe that it is true." Caspian was on a roll, so far so good.

"Ah, that is a fine endeavor. I'm glad you have gotten a chance to do this. I wonder exactly how they misplaced you though. You think they'd be running a better operation. Instead they just let people slip through the cracks and become all alone in a foreign country. Were you scared?" Their mom could be counted on to stand up for Caspian and be affronted for him. The Pevensie children hated lying to their parents like this but it really was the only way.

"A little, but I am not alone," as he said this he tried to inconspicuously look over at Susan, but one person still noticed. Little Lucy Pevensie was really one of the most perceptive people ever. It was only a quick locking of their eyes but Lucy had seen everything that had passed between them. "London is full of kind people, I have seen, and I am just lucky to have been taken in by the kindest of them all."

Their mom blushed and stuttered, "Well, th-thank you, dear. You know, Caspian, I believe you should stay with us while you're in London. London is nice, but it has its dangers as well and I wouldn't feel right with you being out there all by yourself."

Peter gaped at his mom, here he thought they were going to have to _beg_ their parents to let him just stay the night and here she was _offering_ him to stay for who knows how long. Caspian had performed nothing short of magic.

Susan was having a similar reaction. Not that she could blame her mom. Caspian could probably sweet talk her into doing almost anything as well.

As if just remembering herself, their mom quickly said, "If that is ok with everyone? I mean, he could sleep in the boys' room in a sleeping bag until we can find a mattress for him." Edmund was no longer sure who wanted Caspian to stay more, Susan or their mom. At this rate, they may adopt him before the week is out.

"Mum, that's a great idea!" Lucy announced loudly and everyone quickly added on their own comments at the brilliance of their mother's idea.

"Would that be all right with you, dear?" their mom was looking hopefully at Caspian.

"I would not want to impose on you or your family." Caspian humbly replied. Susan had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at the hilarity of the situation. Caspian was playing coy with her _mom._

"Oh rubbish, you would do no such thing." By this time, their mom had stood up and was collecting their plates, as if everything had already been decided.

"Well, if you really insist." Caspian looked over and grinned at Susan who just smiled and shook her head disbelievingly.


	5. What Happened After Dinner

_**Chapter 5: What Happened After Dinner** _

"Well, I hope this will do until we can get you a mattress." Mrs. Pevensie fretted as she rolled out a sleeping bag on Peter and Edmund's floor for Caspian. Edmund came in carrying a blanket and an extra pillow and laid them on the sleeping bag which was in between his and Peter's beds. Peter appeared from behind the closet door, kicking it closed with his foot he handed Caspian some of his pajamas to sleep in.

"Don't worry, Mum. He'll be fine; this floor is fit for a king." Edmund said grinning at Caspian who forced a smile. Edmund was in rare form with these "king jokes" which were getting old quite fast.

"This will do just fine, thank you, ma'am. You are very kind," Caspian said giving her a slight bow. Peter gagged dramatically and Edmund snorted as their mom turned a dark shade of red and made her way to the door.

"You boys should take some notes from Caspian here. He has wonderful manners and you would do well to learn from him. Good night, boys." With that she left, closing the door behind her.

"Caspian, you're making us look bad," Edmund jokingly said as they all changed into their pajamas to get ready for bed. Once they were done, Caspian sat on the floor but didn't lie down yet. Peter and Edmund followed suit and they all sat on the sleeping bag; Edmund and Caspian knew that Peter probably had many questions for them and that sleep was a long way off. All of a sudden there was a quiet knock on the door and a whisper through the door.

"Can we come in?" Susan tried to be quiet so her parents didn't know that she and Lucy were sneaking into the boys' room to talk. Looking up quickly, Caspian immediately perked up at hearing her voice. It had only been about ten minutes since he had seen her or heard her but after three years of not hearing that voice he cherished every sacred syllable that escaped her lips.

"Yea," Peter whispered back. He had thought that it would probably be a good idea for all of them to be together so that they could discuss everything anyway. Being very careful of the squeaky hinges of their door, Susan and Lucy came in and closed the door behind them.

Caspian let his eyes linger on Susan as he took in her appearance. He knew she didn't intentionally try to look so gorgeous, but that was one of the things that made her even more attractive in his opinion. She was wearing a light, silky night gown that went to her knees and a comfy looking robe wrapped around her, but the thing that really caught his eye was her hair. She had obviously just bathed because her hair was hanging damply across her shoulders. Some of the hairs were sticking to the fair skin of face and Caspian's fingers were itching to just brush it behind her ear. He never got the chance though because at that moment his thoughts were interrupted by someone jumping in front of him on the sleeping bag, startling him out of his reverie.

Lucy had plopped herself in front of him and was excitedly bouncing up and down and saying, "We get to tell them about our adventure!" All three of the older Pevensie kin shushed her in the fear of getting in caught out of bed.

"Do you want to wake up all of Finchley, Lu?" Edmund hissed at her. Lucy was not put out though; she was too excited at the prospect of recounting every thrilling detail of their adventures on the "Dawn Treader." Lucy crawled over and sat in Peter's lap, and Susan carefully sat down across from Caspian. Once they had gotten settled, Lucy and Edmund spent the next thirty minutes relaying their third trip to Narnia to the older Pevensies. Caspian said very little, not because he was distracted by Susan's wet hair (which he still kind of was), but because he did not want to dwell on the painful years without Susan. She was with him now and he didn't want to think about anything else.

Susan and Peter listened attentively to their story, just as excited to hear about Narnia as they were to talk about it. After hearing all of the perils they faced, Susan was so glad that they were home and safe. She knew they were completely capable of taking care of themselves but she couldn't help being worried about them; they were family after all and Caspian he was... well she didn't know what he was. The title boyfriend didn't seem to do Caspian justice; he was so much more to her than that. Susan had been thinking of all possible terms of endearment for Caspian when Edmund had mentioned something about a blonde woman and Caspian. Looking over at Caspian, she saw that he was being very careful not to make eye contact with her.

"What was that about that blonde woman?" Susan tried to say nonchalantly.

"Oh, Ramandu's daughter? She was the most beautiful woman in the whole world. Like unnaturally beautiful. Then again she was the daughter of a star." Lucy said in awe, remembering the pretty lady on the island. Susan was trying really hard to pretend like she didn't care about Caspian being around a good looking woman, but she couldn't help this unpleasant feeling she was experiencing. For the rest of the story, Susan barely listened, too distracted at the jealousy eating away at her and something else, something akin to guilt. Why would Caspian want to be with plain Susan in a world that paled in comparison to Narnia? How could she expect him to stay with her when he could be with the most beautiful girl in the world?

Caspian finally looked sideways at Susan and saw the flurry of emotions in her eyes that she was trying so hard to keep hidden. Was she jealous? He couldn't let her think for a moment that he thought of anyone else but her. Caspian was just about to pour his heart out to her in front of everyone when Edmund interrupted him.

"Yes, but Caspian was adamant about going with us to World's End despite the fact that he had promised Ramandu's daughter he would return." Edmund was doing his best to comfort his sister; she had to realize how much Caspian cared for her. Susan looked up at this. Caspian had broken his promise to come here? To her?

"Yea! He even yelled at Ed when he tried to stop him!" Lucy added doing her part and Edmund gave her a "was-that-really-necessary?" look. Caspian could see that Susan felt a bit better but he could tell she still had her suspicions. Could she not see how beautiful she was? Did she not realize how strong his feelings for her were?

Clearing his throat to get the conversation back on track, Peter asked, "Why would Aslan do this? I mean, why would he let Caspian come here after he had only gotten the throne three years prior?" Everyone looked over at him dumbstruck. He did present a very important question. Aslan had a reason for everything, but he rarely ever revealed it.

"He said that I had much to learn here." Caspian spoke up after a prolonged silence. This had been bothering him ever since he had come here. What did Aslan want him to learn? He would like to know so he could avoid learning it at all costs. The longer he took to learn whatever it was, perhaps the longer he could stay with Susan. He realized that wasn't exactly a great idea but it was exactly how he felt.

The rest of the Pevensies seemed to be contemplating what it could be as well, but were just as clueless as he was. After a few moments Peter had deemed that had been enough for one night.

"We can talk more about this later, but I think now it's time for bed." Peter said standing up and sitting on his bed as Edmund did the same. Lucy and Susan stood up and were about to head out the door when Caspian stood up.

"Uh I think I will escort you to your room." He said quickly.

"I don't think they'll be attacked crossing the hall, Caspian." Peter sarcastically retorted. Peter was growing tired of Caspian's incessant need to be alone with his sister. Looking at his sister's hopeful expression, Peter decided to drop it.

"All the same," Caspian replied not heeding Peter's glare. He needed to talk to Susan and Peter, High King or not, was not going to stop him. Opening the door for the female Pevensies, Caspian followed them out and down the hall to their room. Lucy quietly opened their door and slipped through leaving Susan and Caspian alone in the dark hallway. Susan was about to step into her room when Caspian gently placed a halting hand on her shoulder to stop her. Trailing his hand down her arm, he entwined their fingers and let his eyes adjust to the lack of light. Finally, he saw the outline of her face.

Susan looked up at Caspian and saw his dark eyes, which appeared even darker in comparison to the hall. She couldn't get over the blonde lady. She knew she was being absolutely ridiculous and unfair but she couldn't help it. After a minute Caspian finally came to his senses and said what he had come here to say.

"Susan, I just need you to know that, for those three years you are the only one I thought of. I knew I would probably never see you again but I could not let you go. I held onto the hope that one day, I would see you again. At the first opportunity, I went looking for a way to get to you and I found it with the help of Aslan. I did not think about what I was leaving behind, all I thought was that I could finally be with you. Nothing else mattered."

At this point Caspian was having a hard time continuing through the emotion that was creating a lump in his throat. He swallowed hard and tenderly cupped the sides of her face in both his hands. Suddenly he felt wetness on his hands and he realized she was crying. He could barely see the tiny streaks of water silently trailing down from her eyes onto his fingers.

Leaning in, he pressed his lips against hers in an effort to stay her tears. Susan responded immediately by stepping closer to him and wrapping her arms around him. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she shouldn't be doing this in the hall in the middle of the night, but that thought, along with all others, fled her mind quickly.

Caspian slid his hands to the back of her head and did what he had wanted to do ever since she walked into the boys' room: ran his fingers through her still slightly damp hair. He put everything into this kiss; he had to show her how much he cared for her. Susan certainly felt it as her hands explored his back and pulled him closer until they were flush against each other.

Eventually, Caspian pulled back trying to catch his breath and looked down at her. Before he left her, Caspian felt he had to say one last thing to Susan.

Leaning close to her ear, he whispered softly, "Ramandu's daughter may be the most beautiful woman in that world but that is only because you are in this one. Good night, Susan."

With that he placed a gentle kiss to her forehead and walked quietly back down the hall and into Peter and Edmund's room. Susan watched him all the way, holding her hand to her chest in an effort to calm her rapidly beating heart and she knew. She was in love with him.


	6. Travels without the Sun

_**Chapter 6: Travels without the Sun** _

"This world is awfully wet," Caspian grumbled, looking out the window from his spot on the couch. It had been raining for three days straight and Caspian was beginning to wonder if it would ever stop at this rate. He and the Pevensies had been cramped up inside this entire time with nothing to do but play chess and cards. Caspian still had yet to really see London since his first week here he had been a bit preoccupied reacquainting himself with other aspects of this world; namely, Susan.

They were all in the living room while their dad was at work and their mom was wandering around the house cleaning, poking her head in every once in a while to make sure they weren't getting into trouble. Lucy was sitting on the rug in front of the couch leaning back against Caspian's legs and playing "Go Fish" with Edmund who was sitting across from her. Lucy had grown quite close to Caspian on their voyage and she looked to him as another older brother. Peter was sitting on the window sill and watching the water streak across the glass like tiny rivers. Susan was pacing anxiously, being inside had created an abundance of pent up energy in all of them.

"It rains a lot in this part of the world," Susan replied, finally sitting down on the couch next to Caspian and laying her head against his shoulder. Caspian looked around a little bit to make sure none of the other Pevensies, particularly Peter, minded their little public display of affection. No one really noticed or cared, so Caspian wrapped his arm around Susan's shoulder and gently hugged her closer to him. She sighed happily and her eyes slid shut; She felt so comfortable with him and it felt so natural to just be with him like this even if her siblings were just feet away. They understood, well Lucy and Edmund understood and Peter could just cool it with his "protective older brother" role he was trying to play.

"Are we on top of the ball?" Caspian asked out of nowhere with a deadly serious expression on his face. Susan lifted her head and gave him a funny look.

"What are you talking about?" She was truly confounded as to what he meant by the "ball." Did someone say "you're on the ball" or something and he just got the phrase wrong or what?

"On our voyage, Edmund mentioned to me that your world is round like a giant ball. I assumed that this must be the top since we are not all walking upside down." Caspian announced philosophically. "London must be getting all this rain because it is on top of the ball. The people on the bottom of the ball must not get any rain at all. Am I correct?" Caspian looked around at all four Pevensies and they appeared to be speechless. Seeing he wasn't going to get an answer soon he repeated himself.

"Am I correct?" The combination of Caspian's serious expression and the expectant look in his eyes was enough to make the Pevensies lose it. Peter fell off of his perch on the window sill, Edmund's cards went flying in all directions mid-shuffle, and Lucy covered her mouth with her hand and leaned over to hide her face. The sound of their laughter could probably be heard halfway to China. Susan buried her face in Caspian's shoulder so he couldn't see her reaction. Then her shoulders began to shake in uncontrollable tremors. Caspian had no idea why they were laughing and began to seriously worry about her because he thought her quaking shoulders were from sobs and she was hiding her face because she wanted to hide her tears. He was completely dumbfounded; had he said something wrong?

"Susan? Are...Are you all right?" Caspian questioned as gently as he could. All he got from her was a squeak. Then it was all over. She bust out to violent laughter and promptly fell off the couch and onto the floor with a thump. Caspian looked down at her worriedly and then glanced at all of the other Pevensies who were gasping desperately for air in their incessant fits of giggles. Affronted at being laughed at for his ignorance, Caspian stood up bent down and, like the gentleman that he was, helped Susan gently back onto the couch as she wiped tears of mirth from her eyes. Then he turned on his heel and walked out the door and into the rain without so much as a word to any of them.

Their laughter immediately ceased at Caspian's hasty retreat, realizing they had unintentionally offended the King of Narnia. Susan quickly stood up, threw on a jacket, and made her way outside after Caspian. Peter, Edmund, and Lucy all looked at each other a bit ashamed at themselves for laughing at Caspian's expense. It had been funny but they should have taken into account his feelings and his discomfort at being in a world that was completely different than his own.

"Why did you tell him our world was a ball, you idiot?" Peter hissed at Edmund and clocked him on the back of the head with his palm.

"Uhm because it is! And don't hit me, it's not my fault you guys laughed at him," Edmund said defensively, his voice going up an octave.

"You were laughing at him too, Ed! We shouldn't have made fun of him. He can't help that he doesn't understand everything about this world yet. I mean, remember when we first went to Narnia? We probably said some pretty dumb things too because we just didn't know." Lucy said passionately to both the boys who were ashamed that she always had to set them straight.

"Should we go after them?" Peter looked out at the storm, worried about Caspian but more for his sister. The rain had picked up quite a bit, and he was afraid they'd get pneumonia or struck by lightning or something. He wasn't a storm specialist but he knew that it wasn't completely safe to be out there.

"Not unless you want to see them-," Edmund started to say but Peter refused to hear anything his younger sister may be doing with the young king in the pouring rain.

"Okay! We'll leave them be! They'll probably be freezing when they get back. Maybe we should make them some hot chocolate and have some towels ready for them. What do you think, Lu?" Peter offered in a rare expression of thoughtfulness.

"That's a great idea, Peter! I'll get mom to draw them a hot bath too!" Lucy beamed up in admiration at her brother. She was so proud he was finally catching up to her in maturity level.

"Well, not for both of them...together," Peter reminded her unnecessarily with a disturbed look on his face. Lucy sighed and shook her head; so much for being mature.

* * *

The rain pelted Susan's face as she ran through the subdivisions looking for Caspian. She knew he couldn't have gotten far, but she couldn't quell the fear she had that something bad might happen to him. He didn't know this area and he could be anywhere. She searched frantically despite the limited visibility from the pelting rain. This world was not like his. Narnia could be savage at times, but so could London at night. Then there was Susan's deep-seated fear that Caspian was gone for good. Maybe, he had learned what he needed to in this world and Aslan had sent him home. _Home._ For some reason, the thought that Narnia was Caspian's home hurt her more than she thought it would. Narnia was his home, wasn't it? Her brain was working overtime, and salty tears started to run down her face and mix with the rain. She thought bitterly that she couldn't remember crying this much or this often in her entire life. Caspian just managed to bring all of her emotions to the surface with just the bat of an eye lash. She was never like this, she was the responsible one, the one who thought logically and didn't run after guys in the rain. She was so much braver now thanks to Caspian. She was willing to go after what she wanted- _needed_ \- and Caspian was just that.

Eventually, the burning muscles in her legs and the sharp pain in her side forced her to stop and fall to her knees in the street. Susan remained unaware that she probably just scraped her knees up pretty bad on the pavement; she was too occupied with the pain in her heart to feel anything else. What had she done? How could she have laughed at him like that? She hated it when people laughed at her and here she was making fun of Caspian who was just trying to understand this world better.

She sat there for a good thirty minutes, praying that Caspian would come back to her. She finally dragged herself up to her feet and looked down at the blood flowing down her legs from the cuts on her knees. She just watched as the rain washed the blood away.

Then all of a sudden she saw another pair of legs in her line of vision, and she looked up quickly to see Caspian in front of her. He was equally soaked and the plain blue, button up shirt he was wearing was sticking to the lean muscles beneath it. Susan ripped her eyes away from this glorious sight to meet his gaze. His dark hair was pasted to the side of his face and a few strands were blocking her view of his eyes. She reached her hand up and brushed the offending hairs to the side and rested her hand on his cheek.

Remembering what she came out here to say to him, she began, "Caspian, I..." For the life of her she couldn't remember how to form words, especially when he looked at her like that. Susan thought he'd still be angry or maybe just a little frustrated, but he didn't look that way at all. Caspian was looking at her like she was the only thing in this entire world; like there wasn't any rain and they weren't in the middle of a street in London and she hadn't made fun of him earlier. He simply looked at _her._

Susan finally got her tongue working again but instead of speaking she grabbed the back of Caspian's head and pulled him down for a passionate kiss. This one was much deeper and forceful than their previous ones. Now she was the one who needed him to know how much _she_ cared for him.

After a few moments she broke away and managed to utter quickly, "I'm sorry about earlier, Caspian. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I would never hurt you on purpose, I love you." Susan looked up at him to see his reaction, but she hardly had time to gauge it because he had captured her lips again. This one was a lot more tender and soft, but then it was over much too soon as he pulled away.

Caspian looked down at her and smiled. All things forgiven he replied, "I love you too."


	7. The Rashness of the King

_**Chapter 7: The Rashness of the King** _

Eventually Susan and Caspian walked back home and dried off. They were very thankful for the warm bath, which Peter was relieved to see they took separately, and the hot chocolate that was waiting for them when they arrived. All the Pevensies attempted to apologize to Caspian but he just waved them off and told them that they were forgiven. After the Pevensies' mom fretted a bit more about Caspian and Susan, they all went to bed.

The next day, the clouds fled and the sun shone brightly in the sky, all traces of the previous day's rain gone. Yet, the Pevensies and Caspian still weren't outside. They were all crowded in Peter and Edmund's room again discussing what they should do.

"We have to find out what Caspian's supposed to learn," Peter earnestly said, frustrated that his siblings couldn't agree with him. Caspian just sighed and listened to them talk about him...again. Frankly, he didn't care why he was here; he just wanted to be with Susan, wherever that may be.

"Aslan never meant for us to know. We always just realized what we learned after everything was all said and done. Don't you think it would be the same way this time?" Edmund argued logically. All of a sudden their mom popped her head into the room and stared at them incredulously.

"What are you all still doing inside? Get out there, it's a lovely day and I'm sure Caspian would like to see a bit of London. Wouldn't you, dear?" She asked pointedly to Caspian.

"Yes, I would like to see London very much," Caspian was happy that she brought it up. Ever since he got here all he had seen were the subdivisions in Finchley and the Pevensie and Scrubb (Eustace's family) households. Not to mention the car ride, but he hadn't been really looking out the window. There had been something far more interesting right in his lap. Mrs. Pevensie nodded approvingly at Caspian's agreement and left the room.

"Suck up," Peter grumbled as he stood up.

"Pardon me?" Caspian was unfamiliar with this phrase. How does one "suck up?" He wasn't quite sure.

"Let's go play cricket in the park or something. What do you say?" Susan interrupted before anyone could attempt to explain exactly how you "suck up" to Caspian. He jumped up, and kissed Susan square on the mouth. He didn't know what cricket was but he knew it involved leaving the house, so he thanked his lucky stars he Susan had brought it up.

"Yes, thank you! Let's go play cricket in the park or something!" Caspian hugged Susan tight in gratitude and repeated her exact words so he wouldn't make a fool of himself again.

"Hey, you used a contraction! Well done." Susan smiled at him. Who cared if he just copied what she said, he still said it. Small victories.

"Bleh, yes let's leave before I vomit." Edmund shook his head at their painfully cute moment and searched around in their closet for their cricket bat and ball.

* * *

They walked to the park which wasn't too far away, plus it was a nice stroll in the pleasant weather. Caspian tilted his head back towards the sun and closed his eyes just taking in the feeling of being outdoors again. He felt something warm slide into his hand and looked over to see Susan walking beside him grasping his hand. He smiled at Susan and they continued to follow the others hand in hand.

This felt so strange to Caspian, to be simply walking down a street and holding the hand of the woman he loved. He never could have dreamed these would be the circumstances in which he would be with Susan but it felt so right at the same time. He almost felt _normal_ ; like he was just a simple man, not really a king in an entire different world. In a spontaneous feeling of happiness, he leaned over and kissed Susan on her temple. She looked up at him a little surprised at how openly affectionate he was being. Not that she was complaining.

"Hey, what was that for?" Susan smiled and released his hand in order to wrap it around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder.

"I love you," He said simply returning the embrace by wrapping his arm around her shoulder. Grinning like a fool in love, which she kind of was, she stood up on her tippy toes and kissed him softly on the lips. It just felt so natural to say those words to her now, as if he could finally say what his heart had been trying to tell him for a while now.

"I love you too," She replied making his heart flutter a little, as they came upon their destination. They found a pretty wide open area and started setting up the wickets. Peter proceeded to explain the extremely complicated rules to Caspian who thought his head was going to explode with words he'd never heard like "bowler" and "wicket."

Edmund volunteered to bat first to show him how it was done, so he picked up the flat looking bat and got into position. Peter got his running start and chucked the ball as hard as he could to hit the wicket, but Edmund hit the ball after a bounce and sent it flying off to the side. Edmund started to run as fast as he could between the wickets as Lucy ran and got the ball and threw it back to Peter.

"So, See how I...ran between the wickets? That's how you score...points. When Peter...gets the ball back...my turn is over." Edmund explained in between gasps for air. Caspian thought he actually semi-understood the idea of the game. So, they started to set up to play for real this time; real meaning that they weren't actually going to keep score at all. Susan would start out being the catcher, Edmund and Lucy would play the field, Peter would be the bowler, and Caspian would attempt to bat first.

Peter ran up and chucked the ball but he threw it all little too close to Caspian so on instinct he jumped out of the way. Caspian looked up at Peter to see if he did that on purpose but his face was unreadable. So Caspian stepped back in as Susan threw the leather ball back to Peter giving him a warning glare. What exactly was he playing at?

Peter threw the ball again this time Caspian swung the bat a little late and missed. Frustrated but by no means defeated, Caspian tightened his grip on the bat and narrowed his eyes in concentration. Susan set back up the wicket which had been knocked over and once again threw the ball back to Peter. She was glad to note that Peter wasn't really trying to hit Caspian.

Once again Peter threw the ball and it bounced once and Caspian connected with it this time. It went sailing off pretty far. He kind of just stood there smiling proudly at his accomplishment.

"Run!" Susan yelled, just as excited as Caspian. He grinned back at her and started running between the wickets as he had seen Edmund do. Meanwhile, Lucy was running after the ball which had been hit clean over her head and back into another group of boys who were playing tag. One of the boys, who couldn't have been older than twelve, grabbed the ball before Lucy could get to it.

"Thank you, may I have that back, please?" Lucy asked nicely as she looked behind her to see Caspian score for the fourth time already and still going strong. The boy looked at her smugly and tossed the ball around in his hands as if daring her to take it.

"No, actually me and my friends have been wanting to play cricket. So, why don't you give us your bat and wickets as well?" He was bigger than Lucy and she knew she wasn't going to be able to get the ball back. At that moment Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Caspian, who had noticed the little confrontation, ran up to the group of boys and came to stand behind Lucy. While the other boys outnumbered them, they were older than them.

Peter walked up to the boy and had every intention of walloping him in the face and just taking the ball back, but Susan stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her and sighed, he knew he shouldn't get into anymore fights. Had he learned nothing in Narnia? Shaking his head he stepped back behind Lucy and thrust his hands into his pockets to prevent himself from hitting the annoying boy.

"We would like to continue our game. Could you please hand us back our ball?" Susan tried to be patient and she thought she did a pretty good job of it.

"Shove off, bitch," the boy spat at her. No matter what world you were in, that word was not acceptable. Caspian did what Peter had wanted to do: he stepped forward and walloped the guy in the face. It only took one punch to send the kid flying to the ground. Caspian felt bad that he had to do that to a kid so much younger than himself, but he needed to be taught a lesson. Caspian dragged the boy by the front of his shirt to look him in the face. The boy had blood dribbling down his chin from his nose.

"I suggest you apologize to her. Now." Caspian's eyes were dangerously dark as he looked into the boys slightly fearful blue ones. The other Pevensies were slightly dumbfounded at the scene before them. Susan finally came to her senses and put a comforting hand on Caspian's tense arm which was gripping the boy's shirt. She was temporarily distracted by the tight muscles underneath his skin but quickly shook those thoughts out of her head.

"That's really unnecessary. He doesn't have-," She started, but Caspian interrupted her. He normally wouldn't interrupt her but he felt he had no choice.

"No, Susan. If he does not learn this lesson, then he will spend the rest of his life thinking it is appropriate to treat people that way, and it is not. I will not allow him to speak to you that way," Caspian said fiercely, then looked to the boy and hissed, "Apologize, or I will make you."

"I...I'm sor...sorry," He stuttered and Caspian released him. In the heat of the moment they all forgot about the ball and turned to leave, no longer in the mood to play and to distance themselves from those beastly boys. The group of boys who had been watching their "leader" the entire time had seen that the older kids could obviously beat them up so they backed off, not really wanting a confrontation, and headed out of the park.

The rude little boy still had the ball, and he was a lot braver now that he was a fair distance away from Caspian. He shouted a "hey!" to them and all four Pevensies plus Caspian turned to see what the commotion was about. The boy immediately pelted the leather ball at Caspian's head. Not being prepared to move, the ball hit Caspian squarely in the eye and flattened him to the ground. The boy may have been a jerk but he had good aim and a strong arm. Being the cowardly preteen that he was, the boy ran off as fast as he could just in case one of them chased after him, but no one did.

Caspian sat up in the grass and held his face where he'd been hit and mumbled, "I do not think I like cricket."


	8. The Healing of Harms

_**Chapter 8: The Healing of Harms** _

"He was just a kid, Caspian! You didn't need to hit him!" Susan yelled as she filled up an ice pack for his rapidly swelling cheek. She had been fussing at him nonstop ever since Peter dragged him up from the ground and they had all walked home. Caspian didn't say much on the slow walk back because he had been a bit ashamed of his reaction as well. He knew he'd been a bit rash in his actions, but he felt justified and plus, that boy had been asking for it by calling Susan _that_. Peter or Edmund would have done the same thing had they been as close to the boy as Caspian was. He even had a sneaking suspicion that Lucy would have kicked his kneecap or something.

"Susan, please forgive me, but I could not let him say such things to you," Caspian finally mentioned in his own defense, willing her to understand why he did it. He looked at her with his most pleading look from his seat at the kitchen table. Susan turned from the sink and sighed as she looked at his pathetic puppy dog face. She wondered if he had ever used that look when he was King of Narnia. Picturing him pouting at his generals caused the former queen to elicit a quiet laugh. It was incredibly hard to be mad at that face, especially when he pouted his bottom lip like that, and she was sure she wasn't the only one that was no match for that look. Walking up to him she gently placed the ice pack to his face causing him to hiss in a mixture of pain and shock from the sudden cold.

"I understand why you did it, I really do, but you can't do things like that here. That's not how you solve your problems." Susan said, grimacing at the black eye already forming, but shooting him a stern look at his one visible eye.

"Is your country not at war?" Caspian retorted taking the strange bag from her and holding it to his face. He had remembered Edmund once mentioning about how their father fought in the war, but was sent home for some reason. At the time he had thought nothing of it because he had still been preoccupied with seeing Susan again. Coming back to reality he glanced at her face and realized immediately that he should have kept his mouth shut.

"Listen, that is completely different. You punching a little boy has absolutely nothing to do with this war. You should know that better than anyone." Susan's temper was rising as she walked away from him to stand at the window across the kitchen. She leant her hands against the edge of the sink and gazed out at the sunlit backyard unable to meet his gaze.

She remembered years ago when the air raids were still going on in London and having to run to the shelter in the middle of the night, never knowing when a bomb might be dropped on their house. Looking down at the sink she reminisced about their battles in Narnia in their years there and all the times she questioned whether they were fighting for the right reasons or whether they would remain alive through all the battles. Strangely though, a part of her _missed_ her life in Narnia and all the battles, and a part of her was relieved to be back in England and mostly away from direct fighting. Here she didn't have to worry about being sent off to war to fight, but she wasn't sure that was a good thing. Fighting alongside her brothers and Caspian had been wonderfully liberating and made her feel more than just a helpless little girl. All of that seemed so long ago, had it only been a year since they'd been in Narnia?

"Susan, I did not mean it in that way," Caspian began, seeing her distress. He just couldn't seem to do anything right today and he knew it was his own fault. He hadn't meant to upset her, but couldn't she see that he was just trying to defend her honor?

Leaving the ice pack on the table, Caspian stood up and walked behind her quietly. He hesitated a moment, afraid to upset her even more, but then wrapped his arms around her from behind and pulled her close. She stood stiffly for only a second then relaxed and leaned against him. Closing her eyes, she just reveled in the feeling of being in his arms again, it had felt like ages but it had only been mere hours. Then she remembered that she was supposed to be mad at him, but those thoughts vanished as he softly moved her hair away from her neck and placed a tender kiss there.

"I know, it's just that I'm afraid," Susan murmured more to herself but he heard her anyway. Gently turning her so that they were face to face, he looked into bright blue eyes worriedly.

"Afraid of what? Afraid of me? Susan, I would never-" Caspian started. Had he scared her by hitting that boy? Did she think that he was capable of harming her?

"No, no, no! It's not that. I'm just scared that Aslan will send you back, or that someone will find out you're here and send you off to _our_ war. Or the war won't be over when Peter's old enough to be sent. Or Germany will drop bombs on us again. Or...or..." Susan couldn't finish, she just buried her face in his chest, but she didn't cry. She just tried to collect her thoughts and emotions. Caspian had no idea how to comfort her; for one, a lot of the things she said he didn't understand and also, he had some of the same fears himself. All he could do was just hold her as she calmed herself down.

"Susan," Caspian began quietly as he stroked her back. "I do not know what will happen to us, but I need you to know that I love you and I will do everything in my power to take care of you." With that he leaned down and kissed her in an attempt to prove the truth behind his heartfelt words. Parting after a few moments, he continued to look down at her comforting her with his expressive dark eyes.

"I know you will, but you really don't need to hit little kids," Susan sighed, smiling into his shirt trying to lighten the mood.

"We have the ball, do we not?" Caspian tried. Susan smirked to herself and looked up at him, simply shaking her head in disbelief.

"Yes, we do have the ball." She really couldn't stay mad at him, especially when he said simple things like that. "In all seriousness, Caspian, you really can't hit people when they're rude."

"I know that. I did not hit him because he was rude." Caspian said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, really, then why exactly did you hit him?" Susan asked looking up at him expectantly.

"I hit him because he was rude to _you_." He replied grinning at her in that charming way of his even with a black eye. Susan rolled her eyes at him, how many lines did one man have, really?

"Oh please, you really should try to use some of that charm on someone else. My mum would probably eat it up." Susan released him and made her way back over to the table and sat down and he soon followed. Picking up the ice pack from the table, she carefully placed it back on his eye. The swelling had gone down considerably, but it was still a dark purple as the blood settled under his eye. That couldn't be helped though.

"Yes, but do they not work on you as well?" Caspian questioned suavely in his thick accent. He looked into her eyes and she could see the playful twinkle there.

"Well, you sure are in a rare mood. I think you need to stop getting hit in the head so much. I fear that it's starting to affect your brain." Susan joked placing the ice pack back on his eye and using her other hand to tenderly brush some of his dark hair off of his forehead.

"I have not been hit in the head _that_ many times." Caspian retorted. Susan had just lifted her free hand and opened her mouth to count off just how many times he'd been hit in the head when Edmund walked into the kitchen.

"How's your face?" Edmund questioned bluntly as he rummaged through the refrigerator for an afternoon snack, completely oblivious to their private moment. Susan removed the ice pack once again from Caspian's face figuring that the swelling wasn't going to go down any further than it already had. She made her way to the sink to dump out the ice and gave Edmund a dirty look over her shoulder at his poorly worded question.

"I am-" Caspian started and then tried again, " _I'm_ okay. A little cold though," He looked over at Susan who was still staring down at the sink but smiling to herself at his successful attempt at a contraction.

"Good to hear," Edmund said distractedly as he found an orange and sat beside Caspian at the table to peel and eat it. Peter and Lucy came down stairs shortly after and Peter made them both a sandwich. Glancing briefly at Susan and Caspian who were currently giving each other the eye (surprise!), he made his way to the table as well. Seeing that everyone else was eating, Susan decided to get her and Caspian something as well. She had just started getting out the peanut butter out to make some sandwiches when Caspian carefully took it from her making sure their fingers brushed together.

"I can do that for you," He offered making sure he was as close to her as was appropriate with the other three Pevensies in the room.

"Okay, thanks. If you're sure you can handle it." Susan asked teasingly with a grin on her face.

"Is that a challenge, my dear lady?" Caspian responded folding his arms playfully across his chest and raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe," She obscurely responded, shamelessly flirting with him.

"Can you please just make the bloody sandwich? Geez!" Edmund begged dramatically. In truth, he really didn't mind their little display. He was just happy that Susan was finally happy again, even if that meant painfully sweet moments like this one.

Grinning at each other, they separated; Caspian went to get some bread and Susan went back to sit at the table. Susan didn't care what her brothers and sister thought, they couldn't feel what she was feeling right now.

Just as Caspian was about to spread the peanut butter, Mrs. Pevensie walked into the kitchen and gasped. Looking around to see what the matter was, he was surprised when she walked up to him and grabbed his face in both her hands. She turned his head slightly to get a better look at the black eye, and then she looked over at her children.

"What happened?" She asked simply, then turning back to look at Caspian's face, she furrowed her brow at the deep bruise already there. He looked down in his guilt. Would she throw him out when she heard what he had done? Caspian took a deep breath and prepared himself to tell her everything.

"I accidently hit him when we were playing cricket in the park," Peter quickly intercepted. Trying to look as guilty as Caspian looked, Peter glanced away from his mother's accusing stare. Peter wasn't oblivious to the incredulous glances he was getting from around the table, but he needed to do this. Not for Caspian, but for Susan. If having Caspian around made Susan happy then he would do anything to keep him here.

Meanwhile, Caspian couldn't believe it; Peter had lied to his _mother_ for _him_. Why had he done that? He didn't even think Peter liked him that much. Looking over at Susan, she was having a similar reaction.

"Peter, you really need to be more careful. You're lucky it's just a black eye and not something worse." She said looking at him very sternly then assessing the damage on Caspian's face once again.

"Yes ma'am," Peter mumbled in his best attempt at appearing ashamed. Apparently he did a good enough job because his mom left it at that.

"Now, dear, let's get you some ice for that eye," She warmly addressed Caspian, but before she could start looking for the ice pack Susan stopped her.

"I took care of him—that. I took care of _that_ ," Susan quickly recovered but not without a snicker from Lucy.

"Yea, she did," Lucy piped up sarcastically, gaining her a death-look from Susan.


	9. The Pace Quickens

_**Chapter 9: The Pace Quickens** _

"What is _that_?" Caspian muttered incredulously. It was Caspian's first weekend in London and the entire Pevensie family decided to take him into the city to see the sights. Peter had offered to drive them but no one was really keen on being squashed in the small car again. Well, everyone except for Susan and Caspian.

Caspian and the Pevensies were standing in the Finchley Road subway station getting ready to get on the Jubilee line to Green Park. That was near Piccadilly Circus and pretty close to the center of London so they figured that'd be a great place to start. From there they could pretty much walk where they wanted or catch the tube somewhere else.

"It's a subway train. It's like a car except faster and is on tracks, so it can only go certain places." Edmund explained quietly. He wanted to make sure his parents didn't hear because if they knew that Caspian didn't even know what a train was then he might be in trouble. They had done a good job of keeping Caspian's true identity a secret, but one slip could ruin everything.

Susan glanced sideways at Caspian who looked a little apprehensive at the prospect of getting in a fast moving, metal machine again. As if sensing her gaze, he turned to look at her as well. Giving her a small smile despite his nervousness, Caspian returned his eyes to the tracks just as an express train whizzed by, the wind from it blowing his dark hair back from his face. It took all of his self-control to not jump back; it didn't seem safe to him to be standing so close to these fast moving things, but once again, he had to pretend like it was no big deal.

Noticing his anxiety Susan stepped closer to him and slid her hand into his inconspicuously. Peter and Lucy were blocking her parent's view of them so she deemed it safe and necessary to sneak a comforting gesture. He looked down at their joined hands and then up at her face.

"It'll be okay. Peter's not driving," Susan tried to ease his mind with her little joke while giving his hand a light squeeze. Caspian gave a short laugh and looked over at Peter who had managed to hear the jab. Peter just shook his head and crossed his arms, looking straight ahead.

Susan was really starting to irk him. He loved her and he wanted her to be happy, but he also had her best interests at heart as well. Not only was she spending every minute possible with Caspian, but she had changed since the Telmarine had come into her life. Caspian had no business being with her alone, much less alone with her in her room! Were they trying to get caught? More importantly, what happened to his little sister? She never did things like this.

Caspian and Susan were lost again in their own little world which consisted of nothing but each other. Caspian cherished moments like these with her, despite the fact that the entire Pevensie clan were mere feet away. It didn't matter; Susan was holding his hand and looking at him like _that_. He forgot about everything; the train, Peter, London, Narnia, everything. There was only the feeling of Susan's warm hand in his and her azure eyes searching his dark ones. Simply taking in every minute detail of her face, Caspian wished that he never had to leave her side. Nothing else mattered to him anymore except Susan and her happiness. If living here would make her happy then he would never return to Narnia if he had any choice in the matter. Just as he was taking in the light sprinkle of freckles across her fair skin he was brought back to reality by a cough to his right. Glancing over at the source of the disturbance he saw Mr. Pevensie giving him a strange look.

"Susan, why don't you give the man some space," He said gruffly. Something was fishy about those two, and Mr. Pevensie didn't think he liked it. Why was Susan holding Caspian's hand? And why were they staring at each other like that? Peter grunted his agreement and looked accusingly at the pair.

"Sorry, Dad, but I just wanted to make sure we didn't get separated." Susan explained quickly, letting go of Caspian's hand, and staring straight ahead, a light blush creeping up her neck. Luckily, at that moment the subway train pulled up and everyone made their way in through the mechanical doors. Unfortunately, there weren't enough seats for everybody at the moment.

Lucy and Mrs. Pevensie were obviously allowed to sit, but who got the last seat was questionable.

"Caspian, why don't you sit?" Susan offered quickly. She knew his nervousness and didn't want him to have to deal with the adventure of standing up in a subway car.

"Don't be silly, Susan. You sit," Mr. Pevensie ordered as he, Peter, and Edmund grasped one of the poles in the middle of the train car.

Susan was just about to argue when the train started moving abruptly. Neither she nor Caspian were holding on to anything when the train lurched forward and were therefore lurched backwards. Susan had already closed her eyes instinctively and resigned herself to a fate of falling on the floor in an embarrassing manner when she felt an arm snake around her waist, steadying her. Slowly opening her eyes she saw Caspian gripping one of the poles with one hand as if his life depended on it and the other around her waist as if her life depended on it. Looking at her concernedly, he pulled her closer so she could get a grip on the pole as the younger Pevensies giggled at Susan's not-so-graceful moment.

"First day on your new feet, eh, Su?" Edmund poked fun at her. She would have been mad, if she had heard him. Luckily for him she was too preoccupied with Caspian's closeness.

"Are you all right, Susan? Perhaps you should sit," Caspian suggested worriedly. All Susan could do was laugh ironically at the situation as she plopped down in the seat next to Lucy. Here she was worried that Caspian might have trouble standing up on the subway and she had almost fallen! She couldn't count the number of times she had been on the subway and yet she had to be "rescued" by someone who hadn't set foot in one. Stupid Narnian reflexes, why hadn't she developed any?

* * *

They managed to make it to Green Park without anymore mishaps and grabbed some lunch at a nearby restaurant. From there they walked through Green Park to Buckingham Palace where they watched the changing of the guard. Caspian tilted his head questioningly at the strange furry hats the guards were wearing but said nothing since everyone else looked on quite seriously.

"Your kings live in a Palace? Not a Castle?" Caspian asked the closest person which happened to be Lucy this time.

"Yes, our _king_ lives here part of the year but he has a number of castles as well, like Windsor Castle." Lucy explained patiently as they walked. Caspian said nothing, he had no idea what Windsor Castle was but it sounded impressive.

It was strange for him to see the Pevensies as common people coming to see where their monarch lived when they themselves had been kings and queens not too long ago. How could they stand not being treated with the respect they deserved? Did these people not realize the things they had accomplished? Looking over at the Pevensies, Caspian noted that they did have a bit of a whimsical look on their faces as if remembering their days as rulers. Caspian just shook his head at the unfairness of it all. High King Peter, Queen Susan, King Edmund, and Queen Lucy deserved so much more than this for all they had done for Narnia.

After that they made their way through St. James's Park and walked a couple more blocks until they came to Westminster Abbey. As they entered the Abbey, Caspian's breath caught in his throat, he had never seen a more beautiful place in his entire life. Looking up at the gorgeous ceilings, he couldn't conceive how such high ceilings were even possible. Everything was so ornate; he figured that London must be a very wealthy place indeed to have such embellishments. Susan smiled at his awestruck expression; she had had a similar reaction when she had walked the halls of Cair Paravel for the first time.

Eventually, they left and made their way to the Houses of Parliament which left Caspian speechless as well. How were such things made? 

"I am confused. You have a king but he does not make the laws, Parliament does?" Caspian rubbed his temples as he tried to comprehend this complicated system of government. They had all grown tired and were currently taking the subway home. Thankfully, since it was late in the day, there were enough seats for everybody.

"Yes, you've got it." Susan replied just as exhausted as everyone else from walking around London all day. She was glad that Caspian had finally got a chance to really see London and get a glimpse of how life really was in this world for them. She leaned her head back on the seat and turned it to look at Caspian who was sitting up straight and practically bouncing with excitement. Apparently the long day had no effect on him at all or he was just in really good shape. Blowing a strand of her hair out of her face, Susan glanced at Caspian and noticed how his shirt hung loosely on his lean frame but a little tighter around his broad shoulders. Crossing her arms and leaning back in the chair some more she grumbled mentally. Damn Narnian metabolism.

* * *

They had all finally made it home and had some dinner compliments of Mrs. Pevensie. Everyone was pretty exhausted so they all got ready for bed and took their turn in the bath. Edmund walked into the boys' room in his pajamas and rubbing a towel through his hair.

"Bath is free, Caspian. You need me to help you work it?" Edmund offered, aware that Caspian had never filled the tub himself. The only time he had bathed in this world was a few days ago when he had come in from the rain and even then their mother had drawn the bath for him.

"I think I can manage. Thank you." Caspian replied grabbing some pajamas and a towel from the closet and making his way down the hall to the bathroom. Caspian grinned to himself as he closed the bathroom door, remembering his adventure of learning how to use the toilet. This world had a machine for almost everything, and learning how to use them was quite interesting.

Shaking these thoughts out of his head, Caspian made his way over to the tub and managed to figure out how to get water to come out of the silver thing at the top. Proud at himself for figuring it out, he started to unbutton his shirt. Once he had finished taking off his shirt he checked on the water and noticed that all of it was gone. Furrowing his brow he saw that it was going down a metal thing with holes in it at the bottom of the tub.

Meanwhile, Susan had heard Edmund leave the bathroom and she figured she'd take her turn. Gathering her things, she was just about to head down the hall when she heard the water start again. Letting out a frustrated sigh she made her way down the hall anyway with her things.

"Peter! It's my turn!" She yelled as she banged on the door. Lifting her hand to knock on the door again she was a little shocked when the door flung open revealing a bare-chested Caspian. Not an entirely unpleasant sight in her opinion. Quite the opposite, actually.

"Oh, uhm yea sorry I uh," she mumbled distractedly, staring shamelessly at his leanly muscled chest.

"This is wonderful, I need you," Caspian said, dragging her into the bathroom with him. Susan wasn't positive that this was really happening; she was in the bathroom, alone, with a half-naked Caspian and he _needed_ her.

"Excuse me?" she said incredulously.

"How do you make it stop going through those holes?" Caspian questioned, pointing down in the tub at the offending drain, oblivious to her discomfort.

"uuuuuuuuuh, Oh! Yes, you just plug it up with this," Susan replied regaining her senses and putting the plug in the drain.

"I see. Thank you, Susan," Caspian said turning back to her. Having his question answered, he turned his complete attention to Susan. Briefly thinking that this was probably inappropriate, Caspian stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. Susan immediately returned the embrace and rested her head against his bare chest. Her heart was pounding furiously at this intimate contact and the heat from his bare skin was seeping through her clothes.

"I missed you," Caspian whispered to her as her soft hair tickled his skin. All day he had to keep his distance from her and he needed his daily fix of Susan.

"I've been with you all day," Susan sighed, her lips grazing his skin as she spoke, making him shiver a little.

"Not like this," he gently tightened his hold on her and placed a kiss on the top of her head, but that wasn't good enough for her. Tilting her head up, she captured his lips in a deep kiss. This kiss was different then all the others as well, it was much more passionate. Exploring each other's mouths, Caspian gently pushed Susan against the bathroom wall in order to deepen the kiss. Susan responded immediately, kissing him with just as much enthusiasm and running her hands down the muscles of his chest and stomach and then around to his back.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Susan was aware that the door was open, but she didn't really have the willpower to care. She couldn't touch Caspian all day and she needed to make up for it. She was lost in him and she didn't want to be found. Unfortunately, she was.


	10. The Storm and What Came of it

_**Chapter 10: The Storm and What Came of It** _

"Get your hands off my daughter!" Mr. Pevensie roared, grabbing Caspian by his bare shoulders and pulling him backwards off of Susan in his rage. Caspian had been totally unprepared for anything especially being attacked by a crazy protective father, so the force from the pull caused him to lose his balance, trip on the bathroom rug, and fall backwards, hitting his head on the edge of the tub. The blow wasn't too bad but it was definitely going to give him a killer headache later.

Mr. Pevensie hadn't meant to do all of that but Caspian hitting his head just came as an added bonus in his opinion. His adrenaline was pumping and his only thought was to protect his daughter. The boy was practically molesting his daughter in their own home and he was furious. How dare Caspian take advantage of their kindness like this. They had taken him under their wing when he had nowhere else to go and he showed his gratitude by doing _this_. Susan's father didn't let Caspian dwell on the pain in his head very long though because he grabbed him by his hair and hauled him back up to his feet.

"Dad! Stop! Let him go!" Susan pleaded with her dad as he cocked his fist back to clock Caspian in the face. Caspian's eyes were all scrunched up waiting for the pain that would soon come, but it never came. In all reality, Caspian probably could have fought him off but he dared not hit the father of his love. All Mr. Pevensie knew was that Caspian had been half-naked, groping his daughter and, from what it looked like to him, forcing himself on her. No one tried to hurt his family, especially one of his children.

"What did he do to you, Susan? If he," Mr. Pevensie began then decided to address Caspian, who had slowly opened his eyes, instead, "If you so much as laid a finger on her, I'll-"

"What's going on?" Lucy mumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The rest of the Pevensies, including Mrs. Pevensie, had heard the commotion and came to see what the hullaballoo was about. They took in the scene before them; Mr. Pevensie holding a shirtless Caspian up by his hair and threatening him with his fist, ready to strike. Susan was beside her father practically yanking his on arm to get him to let go of Caspian. Mr. Pevensie looked over at his youngest child and lowered his fist; he couldn't kick the crap out of this punk in front of his other children.

"Nothing! Dad, he didn't do anything to me! Just please listen!" Susan begged, glancing at Caspian who was still having his hair pulled by her dad. How could she have been so stupid to let this happen? There was no way she could tell the truth to her parents, but if she didn't then Caspian would be thrown out. Swallowing hard and forcing back the tears that were threatening to fall; she turned to her dad and looked him in the eye.

"Just let him go, and I'll explain everything," she spoke evenly and her dad, sensing that there was no immediate danger to her, slowly released his hold on Caspian's long hair. Caspian straightened himself up and rubbed his head in an attempt to rid it of the pain not only from hitting the tub but from the yanking of his hair.

"Fine. Everyone downstairs. Now, And you," Mr. Pevensie said sternly, and giving Caspian a look that could have melted ice caps, he growled, "Put a shirt on."

Everyone made their way downstairs and to the kitchen, Mr. Pevensie made sure to go last so that Caspian wouldn't try anything again. Susan was mortified, how was she going to get out of this mess? More importantly, how was Caspian going to get out of this mess, alive?

What would she tell her parents? That she had gone to another world and fallen in love with a prince who became a king and popped up into this world? That she had fallen in love with the foreign exchange student in only a week? Which was the less crazy of the two? She wasn't completely sure at this point.

They all seated themselves around the kitchen table and once again, Mr. Pevensie made sure that Caspian didn't sit anywhere near Susan. Sitting silently at the end of the table, Mrs. Pevensie was a little shocked at what she had seen in the bathroom. They had let this young man stay in their home, trusting him implicitly and he had betrayed that trust. Shaking her head, she thought that there must be a reasonable explanation for this. Caspian had seemed like such a sweet young man and she refused to believe that he would hurt any of them.

Lucy was sitting sideways on Peter's lap and clinging to his shoulders, afraid for Caspian and Susan. She had no idea what would happen or how they would get out of this mess, but she knew Aslan had a reason for everything. Perhaps this was a test for them or some kind of lesson. Peter sat straight as an arrow with his jaw tight in his anger at Caspian and Susan's recklessness. Not only was he mad at them for their lack of indiscretion but now they would have to weave another web of lies to their parents. Edmund just gazed around the table at everyone. He knew this was going to be a difficult one to get out of but they absolutely could not tell their parents the truth, no matter what the cost.

Susan was sitting next to Peter and she looked to be on the verge of tears. Any way she looked at the situation she lost. If she told them the truth they would think they were all crazy and have Caspian locked up. If she lied and told them she fell in love with him in a week then they would still throw him out but maybe not lock him up. She would just have to go with the lesser of two evils and pray for mercy. Caspian had put his shirt back on and was sitting between Mr. and Mrs. Pevensie and holding his head down in shame. This was really all his fault that they were all in this mess, in his opinion. He should've been more careful and controlled himself, unfortunately, with Susan that was becoming more and more difficult for him.

The table was uncomfortably silent for a few minutes when Mr. Pevensie finally became impatient for an explanation, so he cleared his throat loudly and gave Susan an expectant look. He needed to know what was going on. He didn't want to believe that Caspian would hurt Susan but he knew what he saw; he just hoped that he was wrong. Realizing that Susan was going to need a little more prompting than that, he decided to ask _the_ question.

"Susan, what happened? If he hurt you," He began reaching over to take her hand but she quickly pulled away.

"No, it's nothing like that at all," She interrupted, looking him in the eye and willing him to understand with her eyes.

"Then what happened, Su?" Mrs. Pevensie asked earnestly. She was just as anxious to hear their version of the story as her husband was. The thought of Caspian trying to rape Susan was almost more than she could bear to think about. It absolutely could not be true.

"I...we...," Susan tried to find the right words to explain how she felt but was finding it incredibly difficult, so she tried again, "I'm in love with Caspian."

Her heart fluttered a little every time she said that and even in this desperate situation she couldn't contain the feeling. Looking around the table, she took an inventory of the reactions on the faces of everyone. Lucy and Edmund were giving her their best encouraging looks while Peter refused to meet her gaze. He simply looked away and shook his head at this ridiculous situation she and Caspian had gotten them into. Caspian looked up at her through his dark bangs and smiled at her, that was enough to warm her heart and give her the courage to continue. Her mom and dad sat up straighter and looked at her incredulously, unsure if they had heard her correctly.

"Susan,-" Mr. Pevensie began but was immediately cut off by her again.

"Dad, I know you don't believe me, but it's true. In the short time I've known him I've fallen in love with him," Susan explained quickly for fear of losing her nerve. It sounded cliché even to her own ears but there was no other way to say it.

"Susan, honey, it's ok. You don't have to stick up for him if he really did do something to hurt you," her dad continued. He was afraid that maybe Caspian had threatened her and she was too scared to say anything against him.

"Dad, please. Caspian would never do anything to hurt me. He loves me too," Susan was practically begging them to believe her at this point. She looked around at her siblings for support and they quickly came to her aid.

"It's true, you have to believe her, Dad," Lucy pleaded from her spot in Peter's lap.

"They really care for each other," Edmund piped up in their defense as well. Then they all looked to Peter expecting the eldest Pevensie kid to say something as well.

"Peter?" Mrs. Pevensie tried prompting him. She knew he would always try to protect his siblings and his opinion was very important. Peter looked up at them all and sighed because he had made his decision.

"Caspian's intentions, well, I don't think they're completely honorable," Peter stated clearly and evenly, not daring to glance at the hurt expressions around the table. Susan felt as if she had been slapped in the face, how could Peter do this? She looked over at Caspian who looked equally shocked and hurt by Peter's betrayal. There was even a hint of guilt in his dark eyes; could he really believe what Peter had said? Caspian was the most honorable man she had ever met and no one should ever make him feel otherwise.

"It's settled then, Caspian, go get your things. You are no longer welcome in this home," Mr. Pevensie said with an air of finality. He trusted his eldest son's opinion in the matter and he had heard enough. He was relieved that Caspian hadn't tried to force himself on Susan but it was just as disturbing to him that his eldest daughter welcomed the young Spaniard's advances.

"Dad! You can't-," Susan immediately began to object but he would hear none of it.

"Susan, this is final. You are not to see this boy anymore," her dad stood and escorted Caspian back upstairs so he could pack up the small amount of things he actually had. Mr. Pevensie was a lot of things but he was not heartless, he let Caspian have a few of his clothes since Caspian had none. They went back downstairs and Peter and Mr. Pevensie left with Caspian without letting him say good bye to anyone. They drove him to a nearby inn and arranged to have him stay there, after that, they left him with some money and drove home. The entire time Caspian said not a word in his own defense, because deep down he felt he was to blame. He felt he had taken advantage of Susan in some way and he deserved everything he got, but that did not make the pain any less excruciating. He didn't know how he would survive in this world without Susan and he wasn't sure he wanted to.

Meanwhile at the Pevensie home, everyone else remained downstairs in a state of complete shock, how had things gone so horribly wrong tonight? Edmund and Lucy could hardly believe their brother would do such a thing to Caspian. Not wanting to face Peter when he returned they went off to bed wordlessly. Mrs. Pevensie was heartbroken; she had grown very much attached to the well-mannered man and was still in a state of shock at the night's events. She, too, made her way upstairs to bed, leaving Susan alone to her thoughts. When her dad and Peter returned, and their dad went off to bed, some things still needed to be said between the elder Pevensie kids.

Susan cried openly now, not having to worry about what anyone thought, and looked angrily over at Peter who still refused to meet her accusing glare.

"How could you?" She whispered fiercely at him. She knew Peter had the over-protective brother syndrome but this had been too far and he knew it. Susan knew that Peter was not just doing this for her. He was doing it for himself. He was scared that she wouldn't need him anymore since she had Caspian to protect her now. Did he honestly believe this would keep her away from Caspian?

"Susan, it was for the best," Peter replied, choosing to avoid the situation and made his way to the stairs to go to bed, but not before Susan had the last word.

"For someone who tries to protect me so much, Peter, you seem to hurt me more than anyone," She said bitterly causing Peter to pause mid-step and look at her sadly before continuing upstairs alone.


	11. The Deplorable Word

_**Chapter 11: The Deplorable Word** _

Caspian couldn't shut his eyes. Every time he did all he could see were Susan's bright sapphire eyes which were forever burned on the inside of his eyelids. He loved her eyes so much and he would never grow tired of gazing into them because that's the one thing that was theirs. When they looked at each other they didn't have to worry about anyone else, just one another and the feeling was amazing. Her eyes were the perfect contrast to her dark lashes and dark brunette hair as well as her soft pink lips. Of course, thinking of her lips always led his mind in his dangerous directions.

Caspian sighed as he remembered the way her soft lips pressed against his in a passionate kiss which left him wanting more. He could still feel the heat on his bare skin from when her smooth, warm hands explored his chest and the way she pressed herself flush against him and he could feel the curves of her body fitting perfectly into his. While he couldn't imagine a more beautiful sight, he couldn't see the real thing either which was ten times more gorgeous, and that was the most painful part. Being able to picture her face but not able to actually have her with him was almost unbearable and his chest ached in physical pain from it.

He had been at the inn for only a few hours and already he felt he wouldn't survive the night. He had told himself that he was being ridiculous and that at least he was still in the same world as Susan. It didn't help though. He had spent three years apart from her in Narnia and he had survived because he had no idea the extent of what his feelings for her would become. Now he had only been apart from her for a few hours and she was only mere minutes away and yet, the separation felt all the worse. She was so close and yet so far and it was killing him knowing that she was a couple of blocks away and he wasn't allowed to be with her.

He had fallen in love with her totally and completely and he had blown it totally and completely. Berating himself over and over for leaving that door open, Caspian knew he was to blame for being caught. It was just awful that they had finally discovered their feelings for one another and couldn't express them. Then Peter had questioned his integrity. How could he think he would ever do anything to hurt Susan? Peter knew him better than that. Did he not see how much he cared for Susan?

Shaking his head and standing up, Caspian gave up on sleep that night and sat up in the hard bed and threw off the scratchy sheets. He rubbed his hands across his face and through his hair in an attempt to rid himself of these painful thoughts. He loved thinking of Susan, it's usually what got him though his day, but thinking of her and knowing that he wasn't going to see her or touch her in the near future was more than he could bear at the moment. Those three years were brutal but what he had felt then was nothing compared to how he felt now. He had finally had the time to discover his feelings for her and there was no going back.

* * *

Susan prided herself on not being just another damsel in distress who cried at the first sign of trouble. She had remained dry-eyed throughout countless battles in Narnia which would have sent many women screaming for the hills at the first broken nail. Yet, a handsome, young king appears and she is reduced to a sobbing mess. Actually, if he was here with her than she was sure she wouldn't be crying unless it was tears of joy, that is. It was the separation and betrayal that was causing this pain.

Clearing her throat and wiping the tears from her eyes angrily with the back of her hands, Susan sat up in bed and glanced over at Lucy who was lying in bed on her side facing Susan's bed. Lucy refused to go to sleep until she was sure Susan was all right; she wanted to make sure she was awake just in case Susan needed to talk. She knew Susan was hurting and completely understood why the strong-willed Susan was in such pain.

Susan didn't confide in Lucy yet though; there were things that she still needed to sort out for herself. She remembered the look in her father's eyes when she told him about her feelings for Caspian. _Disappointment_. For once in Mr. Pevensie's life he had been disappointed in Susan. Always the one to look after the others and do well in school, Susan was not a girl he thought would engage in such rash behavior.

She hated the word 'disappointment.' All her life she tried to be what everyone wanted her to be and take care of her family. She hated it whenever she felt she had let someone down. Lucy and Edmund always knew she'd watch out for them and Peter knew she would balance his ego with her logical thinking. Her parents expected her to be the good little girl and be obedient. She loved them all and truly enjoyed playing her roles but they all expected something of her while Caspian didn't. All he expected of her was that she stay just as she was. She didn't have to play a role for him to like her and it was extremely refreshing.

Susan got up from her comfy bed and finally decided to go sit on Lucy's bed and seek comfort with her younger sister. Perching on the side of Lucy's bed, Susan gently ran her hands through her sister's red hair as Lucy turned to lie on her back. Looking up at Susan, Lucy tried to read what her older sister was feeling but it was too hard to see in the dark.

"Lucy?" Susan whispered finally continuing to stroke her sister's hair.

"Yeah?" Lucy replied just as quietly, making sure to not let anyone hear through the thin walls. She had a sneaking suspicion they weren't the only ones awake.

"Do you think this is what Aslan planned?" Susan asked bluntly, she had been wondering about this, and Lucy seemed to be the most in tune with the Great Lion.

"Yes, Susan, I do," Lucy confidently answered. She was sure that Aslan had a reason for everything and this was just part of His plan.

"But what about Peter? How could he say that about Caspian? He knows that Caspian would never hurt me," Susan's voice raised an octave at the mention of Caspian. Lucy sat up a bit at this and looked Susan square in the eyes through the darkness.

"Remember what Caspian told us Aslan said to him? That he had much to learn here? Maybe he wasn't just talking about Caspian," Lucy tried being logical and this made Susan think. Why would Peter not want Caspian around anyway? Was he just mad that his little sister could take of herself and didn't really need him anymore? Seeing that Susan was still pondering this Lucy continued, giving her even more to think about.

"Peter is the oldest and has always been expected to take care of all of us. Maybe he's disappointed that he can't protect you anymore and doesn't know how to now that Caspian is here," Lucy said quietly and then turned back to her side as Susan stopped playing with her red locks.

There was that word again, _disappointed._ Now that Lucy mentioned it, everything made a lot more sense. Maybe she had expected too much of Peter and now that she didn't expect anything, he didn't know what to do. It wasn't that he was angry with Caspian; it was just that he didn't know any other way to protect her. Susan looked down to thank Lucy but the youngest Pevensie was already fast asleep, so she made a decision. Grabbing a bag, she started packing a few things and then walked over and kissed Lucy on the forehead.

"Good-bye, Lu" and with that she left.

* * *

Susan and Caspian really weren't the only ones still awake that night. Peter sat in the floor with Edmund where Caspian's make-shift bed still was. Edmund had kept his mouth shut this whole week as Peter huffed about Caspian and Susan but after tonight's little drama, he had to say something.

"Peter, they didn't do anything wrong," Edmund began, he hadn't been always fond of their corny little lovey-dovey moments but Susan had been happy.

"They were kissing in the bathroom, Ed! His shirt was off and his hands were all over her! Who knows what they would have done if Dad hadn't found them," Peter whispered fiercely. He couldn't believe they thought he was the bad guy. Was he the only one that realized what was going on?

"So they were kissing. Big deal. You know, as well as I do, that Caspian would never do anything Susan didn't want him to do," Edmund retorted folding his arms across his chest which had broadened out a bit this year.

"That's what I'm afraid of. Susan is so caught up in him that she doesn't realize that what she is doing is inappropriate." Peter shook his head sadly. Susan was being mesmerized by Caspian and he felt it was his duty to save her from herself.

"Aslan obviously wanted them to be together or he wouldn't have brought Caspian here. Is that inappropriate?" Edmund was getting fired up; sometimes his brother could be so dense.

"That's...," Peter began but he realized he had no argument when it came in regards to the Great Lion.

"Exactly. Now listen, you're just mad that Susan doesn't need you all the time anymore, she has Caspian to take care of her now, and you're jealous that he's stealing your family from you," Edmund rushed out in a breath sounding much like Lucy when she explained something. Peter felt as if he had been punched in the gut and the wind had been knocked out of him. He had said it so plainly that it seemed too simple, but he was right.

It was his duty to protect his family, right? So why did he feel Caspian was such a threat? Now that he really thought about it, he didn't know. Caspian had protected not only Susan, but his entire family at one point or another. He felt the same way Peter did, that he would die before he let something happen to Susan. Was it so hard for him to accept that Susan didn't need him anymore? Yes, it was, but he would get it over it eventually if it made Susan happy. Right now, though, he needed to apologize to her. Leaving Edmund, Peter stood up and tip-toed down the hall to the girls' room. Knowing they were probably already asleep he slowly cracked open the door but when he opened it far enough to see into the room he was bereft of air for the second time that night.

"Oh no."


	12. The Unwelcome Fellow Traveler

_**Chapter 12: The Unwelcome Fellow Traveler** _

Susan had gotten halfway down the street when she realized that she had absolutely no idea where her dad and Peter had taken Caspian. Mentally cursing her stupidity and lack of logical thinking, Susan pondered all the possible places they would have taken him. She just prayed they didn't kill him and dumped him in a ditch. Highly unlikely, but still you never knew. Perhaps they took him to Eustace's house? No, they weren't gone long enough to drive all the way there and back. It had to be relatively close, more than likely still in the London area. As her mind raced, she continued walking full speed ahead so she had something to keep her occupied. If she hadn't been walking she would have been pacing back and forth in thought, at least this way she was making some sort of progress even if it was completely in the wrong direction.

London's streets were dark and oppressive at this time of night, but Susan didn't have enough room in her brain for fear right now. Her only thoughts revolved around finding Caspian before he broke another toilet or something. Despite how anxious she was she smiled to herself at that thought, remembering how Peter explained to Caspian, in depth how the toilet worked the first day Caspian stayed with them. Peter had demonstrated how you had to pull the chain to flush it and Caspian did not realize it didn't take much strength to pull it. He had pulled not only the chain out but the entire cistern down as well, effectively causing the pipes to bust and water to go everywhere. Yet, their parents weren't mad at all, Caspian had just used his charming puppy dog look and he had been forgiven. Shaking these thoughts out of her head, Susan continued down the street even more determined to find her king.

Now where would they have taken him? She knew they weren't completely heartless and wouldn't have left him in some random dark alley. At least she didn't think they would. Then where does someone go when they are in a different county? How about a different world? Well, when she was in America her and her parents had stayed in a hotel. Then it clicked in Susan's brain. A hotel, of course!

Now having an idea of what she was looking for she felt the need to run. Walking just seemed too slow and she needed to get to Caspian now.

* * *

Susan wasn't the only Pevensie out in the streets of London that night. As soon as Peter discovered Susan's empty bed, he had run out of the house without telling anyone, this was his mess and he was going to fix it. He hopped into his car despite the fact that it was loud and probably woke his entire family, he didn't care. His concern for Susan and his guilt at betraying Caspian were eating away at him from the inside. This was his entire fault and he knew it. If he had just let them be together then none of this would have happened.

Now, he was driving through Finchley headed towards the inn he and his father had taken Caspian to. Peter knew Susan was off to find Caspian and he just hoped she found him before some else found her. He kept telling himself that she was probably fine and he was overreacting but this did nothing to calm his nerves.

The inn was fairly close and he arrived in a matter of minutes. Jumping out of the car, Peter ran into the inn and racked his brain trying to remember which room was Caspian's. He made it to the top of the stairs and he remembered. _Ten, he's in room ten!_ Practically flying through the corridor he came to a skidding stop at the door with a slightly faded, blue number ten on it and banged on the door.

"Caspian, let me in! Please! I need your help!" Peter panted urgently. He hated asking the young king for help, but Susan's safety was at stake. Having still been awake pining away for Susan, Caspian opened the door almost immediately despite knowing who was on the other side.

"What do you want?" Caspian grumbled, not really inclined to deal with the High King right now. Looking into Peter's eyes though, he instantly knew this was serious. All of sudden Caspian felt as if his heart had plummeted from his chest. He knew what was wrong.

"It's Susan. She ran away to some see you, and I have no idea where she is," Peter rushed, becoming slightly hysteric. He had always been brave in battle, no one ever questioned that, but that was _his_ life. When it came to his family, it never got any easier for him to watch as they went to battle beside him. He was always racked with worry that he wouldn't be able to protect them and they would be lost forever. This was no exception. London was not exactly a battle field, but it had its own horrors and cruel people that would not hesitate to harm a young woman alone in the middle of the night. Susan was fearless in battle with her bow, but in the streets of London, in the middle of the night, weaponless? Swallowing hard, Peter refused to think about what could happen to his little sister.

"What? Does she not know where I am?" Caspian was getting just as anxious as Peter at the mention of Susan. While he didn't know exactly how dangerous London could be at night, he could see the fear in Peter's eyes, and that was never a good sign.

"We didn't tell her because we were afraid, she'd...well, that she'd do something like this," Peter sighed ashamedly. He glanced sideways at Caspian and saw the accusing glare but said nothing so Peter continued, "I know, this is completely my fault, but I swear I will apologize later. Right now, Susan needs you." Peter begrudgingly admitted, but strangely it was a lot easier to admit than he'd thought it would be. Did he finally accept Caspian's relationship with his sister? Let's not go that far.

"She needs _us_ , Peter. I cannot find my way around London alone," Caspian spoke evenly. Peter looked at him with a new respect. Caspian wanted Susan safe too, and he wasn't going to let his ego get in the way of protecting her. _Unlike me_ , Peter thought shamefully.

"Let's go," Peter said finally, nodding appreciatively to Caspian and they were off.

* * *

Susan plopped down on a nearby stoop, not caring whose it was, she just needed to rest her tired feet for a moment. Warm summer air blew through her long hair and ruffled her robe a bit. She had been all over town going to all the hotels and waking up all the managers trying to find Caspian, but to no avail. Burying her face in her hands, she searched her memory of all the surrounding places and thought of other places to look. Maybe they _had_ left him in a ditch somewhere. Shuddering, she had an even worse thought. What if Caspian had been sent back to Narnia? While the last time she thought this it proved to be wrong, she couldn't shake this deep fear of losing him.

Still lost in her thoughts Susan didn't notice them as they approached slowly. As soon as they noticed the girl who appeared to be all alone, they grinned stupidly at each other. How did they get so lucky?

"Hullo, miss! What are you doing out here so late?" an oily voice said as if to mock her. Susan raised her head immediately at the unrecognizable tone and she saw two men who appeared to be extremely drunk. They had probably just stumbled out of the nearest pub and were not done having their fun for the night.

Quickly standing up and backing away, Susan cursed herself for being so careless once again. The two men who were swaying a little in their drunkenness made their way towards her. Without thinking she made a run for it, thinking that they'd be too tipsy to catch her. Unfortunately, they weren't and one of them caught up to her and grabbed the back of her robe, pulling her into a vice-like grip. Crushing her against his chest, he whispered in her ear.

"Come on, now. Me and my friend here are real nice and just want to have a good time," Susan choked on the heavy stench of alcohol on his breath and quickly turned her face away from it. Susan's heart was pounding, she had a pretty good idea of what these guys meant by a "good time" and she was certain it wasn't going to be good for _her_. In fact this was bad, she was completely alone and defenseless. If only she had her bow these guys wouldn't be so smug, she thought bitterly.

"You're very pretty," The guy who was holding her continued to say. Susan stomach became queasy at this. What she wouldn't give for Caspian to be holding her and telling her this instead. All of sudden, the guy gave up trying to be sweet and made his intentions known by playing with the ties of her robe.

Susan refused to let this go on without a fight, she'd rather die than let these guys have their way with her. Stomping on his foot with her heel and drawing his attention low, she then flung her head back and hit him square in the face. Roaring in pain he flung her away from him and grasped his nose which had shattered into a bloody mess from her head butt.

Susan fell to the ground, scraping her hands and knees on the concrete as she caught herself. Standing up, she made to run away again but the other man wasn't done with her yet. He grabbed her and shoved her roughly against the brick wall causing her to hit her head. For a moment all she could see was white then her vision cleared and she saw that this guy was ready for _his_ "good time." Susan made to kick him in his man parts but this guy had learned from his buddy's mistake and pinned her body, legs, arms, and all, to the wall with his large body.

"Easy now, stop fighting. Believe me, you're going to enjoy this," the man said roughly in her ear as he untied her robe and ran his hands over her body over her thin nightgown greedily. She highly doubted she would enjoy anything this man had planned for her. Susan had the strong urge to vomit and cry all at the same time, but she refused to give him the satisfaction though, he would not break her. Digging her nails into her palms until blood ran down her hand, Susan resigned herself to her fate. Closing her eyes, she tried to picture Caspian and prayed that wherever he was that he was all right.

Just as the man had begun hiking up her nightgown, an extremely bright light flashed towards them. Seeing the red behind her eyelids, Susan opened her eyes just to be blinded. The man had stopped to look where the light was coming from as well the sudden change in brightness hurting his eyes. It just seemed to be getting closer and closer. The other man had stumbled away long ago, cursing about his broken nose, so Susan was all alone with this man. All of sudden it seemed as though the light had stopped coming closer and indeed it had stopped. A dark silhouette appeared in the light coming towards them rather quickly, and for a moment, Susan thought that it might be Aslan. As it got closer she saw it was a man and then there was another running towards them.

"Susan!" One of the voices yelled. _Peter._

"Get off her!" Another voice growled in a thick Mediterranean-like accent. _Caspian_. They were here, her protectors.

Caspian ran up to the man and punched him square in the face, causing the large man to stumble back dumbly. This gave Peter time to come up and hit the man in his oversized gut as well. Peter continued to fight the man off as Caspian ran over to Susan who was leaning against the wall and retying her robe with her eyes closed and sighing in relief. It was over.

Without thinking, Caspian enfolded her in his arms in an urgent hug. She could feel his erratic heartbeat against her chest and his quick breathing as he stroked her hair tenderly as if she were made of glass.

"Susan...I am so very sorry," he whispered as his voice hitched a bit in emotion. He had come so close to losing her, _again_. What if he and Peter hadn't seen her as they drove through the streets? What if they had come a minute later? The fire in his chest grew as he remembered what he saw, the way that man had violated her like that, feeling all over her body as if he owned her. Feeling the slight tremble of Susan's shoulders, his eyes immediately softened as he looked down at her.

"Where is that bloody horn when you need it?" Susan tried to lighten the mood a little, looking up into his warm brown eyes. Despite her slight shaking, she felt safe again, back in his arms. Caspian laughed a bit and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Turning serious, Caspian had to know what happened, but he didn't want to upset her.

"Susan, Are you...I mean...did he...?" Caspian fumbled with his words, unable to voice his fears.

"No, he didn't. I'm fine," She replied trying to ease his mind. She could see him visibly relax at her confirmation.

"Thank Aslan," Caspian breathed in relief and held her close again.

"Thank _you_ ," Susan interjected, then glancing over Caspian's shoulder to see Peter walking back towards them after having chased the man away, she added, "And thank you, Peter."

Releasing his hold on Susan, Caspian backed away a little to let the siblings have a moment, but still staying close. He was still shaken by what had happened. This world was not how he thought it would be. The Pevensies had told him such wonderful stories of London and he had been so excited to finally see it. Yet, how could such a beautiful place be filled with such vice, but then he thought of Narnia and he realized it was the same. Narnia had its sinister parts despite its beauty. Their worlds were vastly different, yet in ways they were also similar.

"Peter," Susan began but she was cut off as her older brother engulfed her in a bear hug. He held her tightly and gently rocked them both back and forth more to comfort himself than her. Peter attempted to be light-hearted about the whole thing, but the strain in his voice betrayed him.

"Why must all of you always run off?"


	13. The Wrong Door

_**Chapter 13: The Wrong Door** _

The drive home was fairly quiet; none of them felt the need to bring up what had happened. They knew once they got home everything would have to be explained anyway. Peter drove silently, occasionally peeking in his rearview mirror to keep an eye on Caspian and Susan. Caspian had politely refused the front seat, instead opting to stay with Susan, wanting to make sure she was truly all right and wanting to convince _himself_ she was all right.

Lying down in the back seat with her head in Caspian's lap, Susan reflected on the events of the last couple of hours. She hated to admit it but she had been truly terrified of those men and what they had wanted to do to her, and she still reprimanded herself for foolishly running away to look for Caspian. Yet, strangely enough, she didn't regret doing it at all. Her mind had been so focused on finding Caspian that her own safety had been put on the back burner despite the fact that Caspian was more than capable of taking care of himself (and her as well, apparently). She cared about his safety more than her own and that's how she knew she loved him more than she ever thought possible.

Caspian refused to let go of Susan, as though if he broke physical contact with her then she'd disappear. As she rested her head in his lap in the back of Peter's car he gently combed his fingers through her silky hair, reveling in the softness of it. Looking down at her, he noticed how the first rays of sun came through the window and seemed to dance on her fair skin. She faced away from him but he could still see her long, dark lashes fan across her face as she attempted to take a nap in the bumpy car.

Soothingly rubbing his other hand up and down her robe-covered arm Caspian thought of that disgusting man. His chest burned at the idea of him putting his rough hands uncaringly all over her. That guy was lucky that Caspian was too concerned with Susan's well being to finish kicking the crap out of him. Then again, he was certain that Peter had probably done an excellent job himself, seeing as how his rage at that man equaled his. If he ever saw that man again, he would not be so lucky. Caspian's muscles tensed as he recalled the image of his gentle queen being crushed against the brick wall of the alley. How could anyone feel they had the right to force themselves on any woman, much less this gentle, sweet, amazing one?

Realizing she wasn't going to get any sleep, Susan turned on her back so that she could look up at Caspian who seemed to be shaken out of a reverie by her sudden movement. She took in his handsome features, his strong jaw, which seemed to be clenched rather tightly, his olive skin which only served to compliment his dark eyes which were looking at her intently. His gaze seemed to penetrate her eyes and delve straight to her soul, warming her heart. Having him so close to her made her feel so safe and cherished and _loved_. How could one man be so cruel and another be so incredibly good? Caspian was the polar opposite of those vicious men. He was brave and charming and gentlemanly and _perfect_.

Unable to restrain herself any longer, Susan reached up a hand to cup his face. Immediately the tension in his jaw eased and his eyes slid closed, relishing the feeling of the contact. Susan could feel the rough beginnings of stubble underneath the sensitive pads of her fingers and smiled at the idea of him shaving. Though when she thought about it, he'd been here a week, he had to have shaved before right?

"Caspian?" Susan questioned quietly. Opening his dark eyes slowly, he gazed down at her, giving her his full attention, so she continued, "Have you shaved?"

Caspian seemed to be a little unprepared for such a frivolous question from her after such a serious situation. That was her though. Susan was never one to curl up and drown herself in self-pity like many people he knew. She had a tendency to bottle up her true feelings until they could no longer be contained. He knew that she would open up about this when she was ready and he would be there waiting for her. Until then he'd humor her.

"Not since this morning, well yesterday morning now, I guess," He replied, not sure where she was going with this.

"And you used a razor?" Susan sat up a little, looking at him disbelievingly.

"Yes, Peter let me use one of his," Caspian gently supported her back as she sat up all the way and twisted to look at him, inspecting his face carefully.

"You did a good job," Susan managed to mutter incredulously. Her and Peter had once sneaked into this film called _Sweeney Todd_ because it was scary and their parents wouldn't let them see it since they were so young. Peter had somehow managed to convince her to go with him and she had been scarred for life. When she imagined Caspian attempting to use a razor she pictured images from that movie except with a safety razor instead of a straight one. Peter smirked, glancing at them in the rearview mirror again, knowing exactly what his sister was thinking of. Shaking these semi-insane thoughts from her head, she was about to remove her hand from his cheek when he caught it swiftly in one of his own.

"Thank you, Susan," Caspian replied, serious again. Holding her hand to his lips, he pressed a kiss to her palm, amazed at how delicate her hands were and yet how strong they were at the same time. Remembering that Peter was there, Caspian refrained from pulling her in for a kiss and settled for just holding her as she sat up all the way and slid into his lap. He was really starting to enjoy this car thing.

Peter sighed and smiled at them as they were in their own little world again, and for the first time he wasn't angry or protective or scared. Any doubts he had about Caspian's intentions had been shattered along with the drunken guy's nose, and Peter knew that Susan could be in no safer hands than Caspian's. Hardening his resolve, Peter knew what he had to do, and this time it truly was for Susan's happiness and not his own jealousness.

The sun had completely risen, as they reached the Pevensie household and Peter knew everyone would be awake. They pulled into the driveway and Caspian and Susan, noticing that they'd stopped, untangled themselves from one another. Peter jumped out of the car and slammed the door shut, not caring who heard, he knew he was in for it anyway once he got inside. Caspian climbed out and offered his hand to Susan, who gratefully accepted it, and helped her out of the car.

Once again Peter watched them, which only solidified his opinion that Caspian was worthy of his sister. Peter's stubbornness had gotten in the way of seeing it, but it had been there the entire time. Every time Caspian did a small thoughtful thing for Susan, every time he glanced at her, every time he spoke to her, it just proved his love for Susan. From helping her out of a car to punching a kid, Caspian had done everything for Susan. Before they went in to face their fate, Peter felt he had to say something.

"Susan, I'm so sorry for betraying you like that," Peter blurted causing Susan and Caspian to turn in the driveway and look at him, "I was wrong and I just want you to know that I'm going to do everything in my power to fix this."

He couldn't read Susan's blank expression and he was a little afraid she would say that she couldn't forgive him. Looking down ashamed, Peter knew that he had hurt her and didn't really blame her if she refused to forgive him, but that didn't make it any less painful. This was his little sister, the one he had taken to scary movies, the one who stuck gum in his hair, the one who made him feel so dumb, the one who made him feel so brave, the one he had watched grow from a little girl to a beautiful woman, the one who was Caspian's now.

Without a word, Susan walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

"I love you, Peter. You're the only older brother I have and I will always need you to look out for me," Susan mumbled into his shirt. Peter's heart warmed at his sister's declaration. _She would always need him._ Finally, releasing her, he turned to Caspian who had been watching the family moment from a few steps away.

"Caspian, I was so wrong to think you could ever have anything but Susan's best interests at heart," Peter said addressing the young king with the utmost respect, "I hope you can forgive me."

"You are forgiven," Caspian said simply, holding out his hand to Peter who shook it, accepting the offering of peace. Caspian no longer cared about the king's betrayal because he knew exactly how the former king felt. They both wanted the same thing: Susan's safety.

"All right then, let's do this," Peter sighed, preparing himself for the conversation ahead of them.

They all climbed the stairs and Peter went in but Caspian stopped Susan before she could go in. Carefully turning her to face him, he placed both hands on either side of her face and kissed her soundly and with a hint of urgency as well. Responding immediately, Susan slid her hands up to his neck and pulled him down further so she could deepen the kiss. Trailing his hands from her face, down her shoulders and arms, Caspian finally rested them on the curve of her hips. Susan's hands slid up his neck to his hair and her fingers combed through the soft, dark locks. Caspian let out a small groan in his throat from the feelings she was causing in him. Pulling away quickly while he still could, Caspian gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, making sure to brush the sensitive skin there. Biting her lip, Susan resisted the urge to yank him down and kiss him again.

"What was that for?" She whispered breathlessly, afraid to be louder and shattering the moment.

"Susan, I love you and if I get sent back or away or...," sighing Caspian just had to get this out, because he didn't know if he'd have a chance again, "I just need you to know that I'll always love you, no matter where I am." Susan's heart started beating wildly, the thought of losing him making her lungs contract painfully, reminding her that she needed to breathe. She wouldn't-couldn't-lose him again.

"No, I...," Susan said shaking her head, she absolutely refused to accept that he might have to leave. The emotions of the night catching up with her finally leaked out of the corner of her eyes. Then all of sudden the front door crashed open and there was Lucy.

"Su! Caspian! You're all right!" Lucy cried running up to Caspian and giving him a hug before turning to her only sister and hugging her tightly as well. As soon as Peter's car had left the driveway everyone had been awake and in a state of panic at the absence of Peter and Susan. Clearing her throat of the lump that had formed, Susan held Lucy tightly to her.

"Yes, we're fine," Susan affirmed as Lucy pulled back to look up at her suspiciously.

"If you're fine then why are you crying?" Lucy asked noticing the tell tale wetness on her cheeks. Her older sister was obviously in pain, but why?

"Come on, let's go inside. I'll tell you everything," Susan promised with difficulty. She wasn't sure she wanted to tell them all what had almost happened to her, but she knew to help Caspian she would have to and that's all that mattered.


	14. What Happened that Night

_**Chapter 14: What Happened That Night** _

Susan and Caspian followed Lucy, and stepped through the front door, they didn't know what to expect from Mr. and Mrs. Pevensie or how they would react. Susan was almost sure they would throw Caspian out again even if they did listen to what they had to say. She prayed that they could convince her parents, but she knew how stubborn her father could be especially when it came to his family. Looking down at her feet, Susan tried to find the courage to face her family and what she might have to tell them.

Seeing her distress, Caspian slid his hand into hers and entwined their fingers together, giving her hand a comforting squeeze. Susan looked up at him and smiled gratefully at his attempt at making her feel at ease. _No matter where I am I'll love you too,_ she wanted to say to him, but words seemed to elude her at the moment. In some irrational part of her brain, she felt that if she voiced those words then it somehow proved he was going to leave. She knew it was completely ridiculous, but she couldn't shake this feeling of foreboding in the pit of her stomach.

When they reached the stark white kitchen, they barely had time to think before Mrs. Pevensie tackled Susan in a bone crushing hug, making it incredibly hard for her to breathe and forcing her to let go of the familiar warmth of Caspian's hand.

"Oh, Susan, we were so worried about you! Why would you do something like this? We had no idea where you were, if you were okay, who you were with" Mrs. Pevensie continued to fret, finally releasing her vice-like grip on Susan's neck to look warily over at Caspian. As soon as her mother had released her, Susan had re-established her hold on Caspian's hand as if trying to make a statement to her family who were all hanging around the kitchen in their pajamas. Chancing a glance over at her father, who was leaning against the counter, she saw his disapproving scowl at having this boy back in their home after what he had supposedly done.

After being awakened by the incredibly loud car, Mr. Pevensie had run through all the rooms seeing which of his children were gone. Seeing that Susan and Peter were missing he checked to see if it had in fact been Peter's car and it had been, thank goodness. He prided himself on his stoicism but when he discovered that his eldest children were missing he couldn't hide his fear. All night, he had paced the kitchen, praying that they would return safely. He wouldn't admit it, but guilt was also eating away at him because he had a sneaking suspicion where his children had gone or at least where Susan had gone anyway. Why would Susan do something so foolish for some boy she hardly knew though? Unless...no, he refused to believe she truly loved him. She was young and Caspian was taking advantage of his daughter's naïveté and that was all there was to it. Putting the wall back up around his heart, Mr. Pevensie folded his arms across his chest and did not fail to notice their joined hands.

"What is _he_ doing here? I thought I told you not to see him again," Their dad growled angrily, directing a vicious glare at Caspian, who stared defiantly right back. He had let Mr. Pevensie take him away from Susan once, and he was not going to let it happen again, no matter what the cost. If Susan was going to fight for him, then he was going to fight just as hard for her, if not harder.

"If you'll let me, I'd like to explain," Peter, who had so far been silent, said calmly from his spot at the kitchen table. Everyone turned to look at him surprised that Peter was the one who had piped up. Peter hadn't completely lost the years he'd spent in Narnia as an adult High King, and he was finally going to put them to good use for his sister's sake.

"Well, someone better," Mr. Pevensie grumbled a little shocked that his eldest son was going to tell them what happened, but he trusted Peter and respected his opinion, despite this little incident, and would listen to what he had say.

"You all might want to sit, it's been a long night and this is a long story," Peter requested and they all sat around the table just as they had a few hours ago, only under completely different circumstances. This time Susan and Caspian sat next to each other, maintaining their grip on each other's hand, no longer caring what Susan's parents thought. Everyone was beyond tired at this point, from having virtually no sleep at all, but they were too anxious to hear what had happened to be aware of their fatigue.

"Mum, Dad, what I said earlier about Caspian not having honorable intentions towards Susan...well...it was a complete lie," Peter began coming to terms with his betrayal of them. Is this how Edmund felt when he betrayed them to the White Witch? That was a bit more serious than this but Peter felt pretty awful right about now. He needed to clear this up before they even began to describe the rest of the night's events.

"What? What are you talking about Peter?" Mr. Pevensie questioned intensely. His son had lied to him? What about what he saw in the bathroom? Caspian had his hands all over Susan, that didn't look all that honorable to him. What did this have to do with their disappearance? Their father's temper was flaring again from the frustrating lack of answers he was getting from his supposedly well-behaved children.

"Caspian cares for Susan very deeply and would never hurt her and she feels the same way about him," Peter continued looking at his siblings for support and they all nodded emphatically, confirming what Peter was saying. He noticed the fading bruise under Caspian's eye where the boy had hit him with the cricket ball, and it only served to solidify his opinion that Caspian would do anything for his sister. Shaking the image of Caspian clobbering that kid out of his mind, Peter knew it was going to take more to make up for what he had done and convince his father, but he wasn't finished yet.

"Peter, how do you know that? I mean, they just met a week ago," Mrs. Pevensie cut in, unable to stay silent a moment longer. She really wanted to believe that Caspian wasn't this monster her husband was trying to make him out to be. He just didn't seem like the type of person who would do something like that; he was so polite and well-mannered during his short stay with them. She gazed at her beautiful daughter who only had eyes for Caspian at the moment. The long-haired young man was searching Susan's eyes worriedly, and then he gently brought their clasped hands to his lips, giving Susan's hand a reassuring kiss. Mrs. Pevensie watched the tender exchange and felt her own heart warm at how genuine their feelings seemed. Could they truly have fallen in love in a week?

"I didn't believe it either, Mum, not really, not until tonight," Peter finished quietly, glancing at Susan. He was fully prepared to tell them what happened that night and spare her the pain of reliving it herself, but Susan shook her head. This was her battle and she would defend her and Caspian's love even if that meant having to describe exactly what occurred.

"What happened tonight?" Mr. Pevensie demanded, looking around at the faces of his children, could he trust none of them anymore? He felt like he didn't know any of them and a flash of pain shot through his heart at that thought. Lucy and Edmund seemed to be as lost as he was but Peter and Susan seemed to have strained faces as if they desperately did not want to tell him something. What was going on?

Susan sighed, collecting her thoughts and emotions, she could do this.

"After you and Peter took Caspian away, I decided to go looking for him. You left him alone in a country that was completely foreign to him, and I couldn't bear the thought of something happening to him," Susan started slowly, dreading the next part of her story.

"It was for your own good! This boy has convinced you that he loves you, but he was taking advantage of you, and you let him!" Mr. Pevensie yelled, clearly upset that his children were being disobedient. It seemed his absence while he was at war had caused them to have a lack of discipline, if they were acting like this. He would not stand for it, not in his home.

Caspian's chest burned with his anger at Mr. Pevensie's accusation. How dare he think that he would take advantage of Susan? He had no right to yell at her, did he not realize how hard this was for her? He bit his tongue though, for Susan's sake. Susan chose to ignore her father as well and decided to continue on with her story before she completely lost her nerve.

"Unfortunately, I was attacked by two men who stumbled out of a nearby pub," Susan paused here trying to control her emotions and debating how much detail she should go into. Mr. Pevensie's eyes brows shot up, he didn't like where this was going. His heart started beating rapidly in fear of what his daughter would tell him next.

"They tried to force themselves on me," Susan finished, breathing a sigh of relief at being able to tell them. She also felt a bit ashamed, thinking that it was her own fault that she had been attacked. If only she had not run out alone, if she had stayed home all together, if she had been more careful, if, if , if. It just continued and she was afraid of what everyone would think of her now.

The reaction around the table was immediate. Mrs. Pevensie held a hand to her mouth in disbelief. How could anyone want to hurt her beautiful daughter? Edmund's already dark eyes darkened even more if possible and he clutched the table tightly until his knuckles turned white. He knew what that meant and the idea of that happening to his sister filled him with an uncontrollable rage. Lucy had no idea what it meant but judging from everyone's reactions, it was very bad, so she looked worriedly over at her older sister's strained face and noticed tears beginning to form in the corner's of her eyes. Peter looked away not wanting anyone to see the angry fire burning in his sapphire eyes, or the guilt. Caspian wrapped his other arm around her shoulders and with his other hand he stroked the top of her hand with his thumb, attempting to sooth her pain. Mr. Pevensie remained silent and stoic, but on the inside his heart broke for his eldest daughter. The thought of anyone hurting his Susan filled him with fury and he had to restrain himself from going out and finding those punks and killing them with his bare hands.

"Susan, What...? How...?" Mrs. Pevensie tried to form coherent sentences but the strength of the emotions flowing through her prevented that. Her eyes were shiny with unshed tears for the almost loss of innocence of her eldest daughter. Susan knew she was going to have to give them details, so she lifted her head and glanced around the table at her family and Caspian. Every single one of them loved her and she realized that telling them wouldn't change their opinion of her at all.

"It was dark and I didn't see them until it was too late and...Well, anyway, Caspian and Peter found me before they could...you know," Susan hated the word rape. It was a disgusting word that perfectly reflected the disgusting act. She refused to say it; it just made her feel dirty and used.

"Oh, Susan," Mrs. Pevensie cried, unable to resist walking over to her daughter, kneeling in front of where she sat, and pulling her in a motherly hug. Caspian respectively released his hold on Susan so they could have their mother-daughter moment. Susan returned the embrace, grateful for the comforting gesture, but there were still things that needed to be said, she let go of her mom who sat back down in her chair. Glancing up at her father, he seemed to be struggling with an internal battle. He probably wanted to comfort her too, but remembered that he was supposed to be mad at her for running away.

"It's ok, Mum, I'm all right. Caspian and Peter took care of them. If they hadn't found me, I don't know what else those guys would have done to me," Susan said, now she was the one trying to comfort her mother, and prove Caspian's integrity to her father at the same time. Peter watched his sister proudly; she was so brave to tell them what happened. It just proved that she would do anything for Caspian. Clearing his throat, Mr. Pevensie addressed his eldest son, not ready to completely trust Caspian yet.

"I hope you kicked the piss out of them, son," Mr. Pevensie said huskily, he was still battling his emotions at this point and this was the only way he knew how to show them.

"Well, Caspian got there first. Dad, he broke the guy's nose in one punch!" Peter enthusiastically said, grinning over at Caspian. Mr. Pevensie knew right then, that'd he'd been wrong about the alleged Spaniard. Lesser men would have ignored the fact that they were wrong, but Mr. Pevensie had served in the war and saw where the stubbornness of men got them. Meeting the young man's hard stare, Mr. Pevensie nodded his head with effort, coming to terms with his mistake.

"Thank you for taking care of my daughter, Caspian. Apparently, I was wrong about you, and I apologize," Mr. Pevensie said humbly, stretching his hand out across the table in an offering of peace to Caspian. Cracking the first smile since they'd got back, Caspian grasped his hand tightly, almost not believing this was really happening.

"I intend to take care of Susan for as long as I can," Caspian promised, looking straight into Mr. Pevensie's clear blue eyes, thinking briefly that Susan must have gotten her bright eyes from him. Clearing his throat a little, their dad thought this was an opportune moment to address Susan and Caspian's "relationship." He couldn't deny it any longer, his daughter had grown into a beautiful young woman and this was bound to happen eventually. At least Lucy still thought boys were icky.

"If Peter is telling me the truth this time," He started, glancing sternly at his son, who looked away a bit ashamedly, "and your intentions are honorable, then what exactly are your intentions with my daughter?" He knew it was an awkward question but as a father he needed to know. Susan blushed a little, but still interested in Caspian's answer.

"To love her, no matter what," Caspian replied instantly and firmly. He wanted to prove himself to Susan's father; he _needed_ this man's approval to make Susan happy. Nodding his head, as if his fears had been confirmed, their dad stood up from the table with an air of finality. Caspian feared for his safety for a moment, but then Mr. Pevensie smiled genuinely at him.

"Then, I suppose I have no choice but to let you."


	15. The Return of the Lion

_**Chapter 15: The Return of the Lion** _

Caspian could hardly believe he had heard Mr. Pevensie correctly. Did he just say what he thought he said? Susan's father _actually_ accepted the fact that she loved Caspian and he loved her. It had seemed all too easy but thinking back on it, it hadn't been. The pain and strife they went through tonight had been terrible but if it proved Caspian's integrity to the Pevensie parents then so be it. Susan and Caspian were finally allowed to be together without having to hide how they felt about one another and that mattered more than anything to them. Now, Mr. Pevensie wasn't completely ready to let them ride off into the sunset and get married or any of that, but he _was_ willing to give Caspian a chance and that's all that Caspian wanted.

So, Mr. Pevensie agreed to let Caspian back into his home on the condition that they wouldn't do anything "inappropriate" again. This was incredibly hard for Mr. Pevensie, who found it difficult to watch his eldest daughter growing up and having a boyfriend. Luckily, she had found a good man who had proved that he would take care of her and that's all Mr. Pevensie wanted.

It was going to be even harder for Caspian and Susan to be "appropriate" but they refused to ruin things again. They had seen Susan's father in over-protective mode and they had no intention of setting him off again. Thankfully, Peter was on their side this time around and Susan knew she could trust her brother to truly look out for her from now, on.

Needless to say, after everything that had happened that night, the Pevensie clan and Caspian were in desperate need of some shut eye. Despite the fact that it was already mid-morning and the sun shone brightly through their windows, they all intended to pull the curtains closed and head back to bed for the third, and hopefully final, time that night/morning. They all trudged drowsily up the stairs, but before they went their separate ways a little more needed to be said between the siblings. Edmund turned to Susan once they had gotten into the upstairs hall and pulled her firmly into a brotherly hug.

"Su, I'm really glad you're okay," he admitted into her shoulder. Much to his happiness, he was rapidly catching up to his sister's height, and much to her happiness he was finally catching up to her maturity level as well. As soon as Edmund heard the story he felt very similarly to how all the men in the Pevensie family felt: angry, scared, and relieved. Throughout the entire story he had kept to himself despite wanting to comfort his sister because he didn't want to show weakness in front of his father. Now that he was with his siblings and Caspian, he knew that they wouldn't think that showing emotion was weak.

"Thanks, Ed," Susan responded quietly, holding her younger brother tightly and resting her head on his affectionately. Her heart warmed as Lucy hugged her as well, no words passing between them, nothing else needed to be said between the siblings. Lucy, Edmund, and Peter turned to go to bed but before Susan could do the same, Caspian halted her with a gentle hand on her shoulder. Seeing Caspian wasn't following him, Peter turned around and saw that he was tenderly kissing Susan and then pulling her into his arms for a warm hug. Smiling to himself, Peter continued down the hall, happy that everything turned out all right for them at last.

"Susan, I love you so much," Caspian whispered fiercely in her ear without preamble. Holding her tightly and placing the softest of kisses on her ear lobe, Caspian just relished the feeling of being able to stay with her. Susan was taken off guard by Caspian's sudden spontaneous show of emotion, but quickly returned the tight embrace, leaning her temple against his cheek.

"I love you too," was all Susan could manage to say while Caspian's lips continued their ministrations, trailing kisses down her jaw until finally capturing her lips again. Resting her hands on his chest, Susan could feel his heart beating just as wildly as hers was and this spurred her to deepen the kiss even more. As if just becoming aware of himself, Caspian broke away quickly leaving Susan wanting more. Caspian remembered what happened last time he couldn't control himself, and he wasn't going to let it happen again. No matter how badly he wanted her, he still had to respect her father's wishes. Kissing alone in the hall might be deemed inappropriate and he didn't want to push his luck after finally getting Mr. Pevensie's approval.

"Good night," Caspian said happily, grasping her hand and giving it a final kiss, and then pulling away. He made his way down the hall to the boys' bedroom and giving her a brief coy grin, closed the door behind him. Susan just stood there for a moment, trying to catch her breath and tame her rebellious heart. How did he always manage to do that to her?

"Good night," She said smiling widely to herself and practically skipped off to bed.

* * *

Lying down on his back in his make-shift bed, Caspian folded his arms behind his head and gazed up at the ceiling without really seeing it. His head was filled with thoughts and images of Susan again, and in spite of his tiredness, he didn't want to close his eyes and sleep. In some deep, dark part of his mind he was afraid that when he woke that he would be back at the inn, alone. Realizing he was being ridiculous, Caspian turned on his side and shut his eyes, finally succumbing to sleep.

* * *

Susan walked into her and Lucy's room and quietly and made her way to her bed, only to see Lucy in it. Smiling affectionately at her little sister, Susan made to go sleep in Lucy's bed when she heard a small little groan.

"Susan?" Her little sister mumbled sleepily, rubbing her eyes and sitting up to look at Susan.

"Yeah, Lu, it's just me. Go back to sleep," Susan whispered, slipping out of her robe and pulling back the covers of Lucy's bed, but she didn't get a chance to lie down.

"Will you sleep with me tonight?" the valiant queen's voice rarely sounded so small, and it caused pain to shoot through Susan's heart. It made her heart ache to think that her pain was causing others to hurt as well, especially her young, innocent sister. As soon as Susan had lain down, Lucy had curled up to her older sister's side, holding her close.

Lucy knew that Susan didn't need to talk about what happened anymore and so no more words were spoken between them. She was simply content with the comfort of having her older sister close. Susan tiredly planted a kiss on Lucy's head and rested her head back on pillow, quickly falling asleep.

* * *

Caspian slowly became aware of that he was awake, but decided not to open his eyes yet; he was much too comfortable to move right now. He made to snuggle further into the warm blankets, only to realize that he didn't have any. Growling in frustration and thinking that he probably kicked them off sometime in the night, Caspian found the will to wake up.

Slowly opening his eyes, his heart stopped at what he saw. He was lying in a large patch of soft, bright green grass that Mrs. Pevensie would have killed to have in her yard. Above him towered humongous trees that seemed to stretch on forever, so high, in fact, that their dark green canopies appeared to be the sky itself. Sitting up even further he glanced to his left and saw hundreds, maybe even thousands, of huge puddles that glistened and reflected the light from some invisible source. Beginning to panic, Caspian looked to his right to see Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy all curled up and sleeping beside him. Crawling quickly over to Susan, he was just about to wake her up when a warm, but authoritative voice stopped him.

"Let them sleep a while longer, High King Caspian." His heart dropped, he knew that voice. _Aslan._ Turning around to humbly face the Great Lion, Caspian knelt before him, bowing his head in reverence. His heart felt it was going jump right out of his chest, there could be only one reason Aslan had brought him here. It was over. After only one amazing week it was over.

Sneaking a look over at Susan, his heart broke at the sight of her beautiful form which was still curled up and resting peacefully. He took in everything, every contour of her face, every curve of her body, each rise and fall of her chest as she breathed each strand of her gorgeous hair that he would never be able to feel beneath his fingers again. He wanted to engrain each and every minute detail of her into his mind, so he could always have her in his memories once Aslan took him back to Narnia.

Narnia. He had considered it his home, but now the thought of returning filled him with grief. While he didn't feel that he had fit in very well in London, it still had felt like home this past week. Then again when Susan had been in Narnia, everything felt perfect as well. It was then that he realized that it didn't matter where they were, if they were always together, anywhere could feel like home. If he didn't have Susan, he would never be home.

"Rise, King of Narnia," Caspian unconsciously cringed at the title but Aslan continued anyway, "I have much to discuss with you." Nodding solemnly, Caspian stood and met the yellow, lamp-like eyes of the Great Lion. He knew he could not argue with the will of Aslan and that he had a reason for everything, but then why was Caspian having trouble containing his despair.

"Caspian the Tenth, it has been hardly a week and already you have learned much," Aslan spoke clearly to the young king, "but you are unhappy." It wasn't a question, but Caspian felt he had to explain himself anyway.

"Yes, sir," Caspian replied, a little ashamed at himself for being so ungrateful, but he couldn't help himself, "I am going to miss...London...very much." He finished, gazing directly at what he would miss most: Susan. He no longer cared what it was that he had learned in London, all he cared about was Susan. Aslan was not ignorant to what Caspian truly meant and that is exactly why he brought them all here to the Wood Between the Worlds.

"Caspian, Narnia needs its rightful king," Aslan continued, never one to beat around the bush. Caspian swallowed hard, it was just as he feared. Clearing his dry throat roughly because tears were beginning to burn the back eyes, Caspian nodded gravely towards Aslan's unreadable face. He wanted to yell, he wanted to fight, most of all he wanted to cry and it was becoming too difficult for him to keep tears from falling.

"Can I...Would it be all right if I...said good-bye to them?" Caspian could no longer stop the tears, and he let them flow silently down his olive skin. What had he learned? He loved Susan, that's what he learned. Then why did he have to leave her, to learn that he was incapable of loving anyone else?

"I am afraid that is not possible," Aslan replied, just as stoic as ever, apparently unaware or uncaring of the emotions coursing through Caspian at this particular moment. The young Telmarine looked back at Aslan incredulously. How could the Great Lion be so cruel? Shaking these thoughts from his head, Caspian knew Aslan had a reason. Maybe he was afraid it would be even harder for Caspian if he was allowed to be with Susan one last time.

"There is no need to say good-bye," Aslan began gazing at Caspian's desperate appearance, then finished with, "they will be returning with you."

Caspian's facial expression changed drastically. He wasn't sure he'd heard him correctly. Did he just say they were all returning to Narnia? Caspian's heart reawakened and started beating faster than was healthy, or at least that's how it felt. Caspian looked hopefully at Aslan, who finally cracked a smile at the young king, and his tears only increased but this time from complete and utter euphoria. He would be staying with Susan. That thought brought a bright grin to his face and he could no longer wait to tell Susan, so he ran over and leaned over her sleeping form with his hands supporting himself on either side of her body. Right before he woke her up though, he looked over his shoulder at the Great Lion.

"May I? Caspian breathed heavily in anticipation. Aslan simply nodded his approval. Caspian turned back to Susan and he had trouble containing his emotions as he looked down at what he had almost lost...again. She was still in her nightgown and she had never looked more angelic in his opinion. Lifting one of his hands, he brushed his knuckles tenderly across her cheek. Caspian reverently took in the soft feel of her skin against his and marveled at how smooth it was. So lost was he in his admiration of her beauty, that he almost forgot Aslan was watching him. Caspian leaned down and touched his lips to her forehead in a chaste, feather-light kiss. Susan didn't wake but only made a low sound in the back of her throat. Not deterred, Caspian gently ran his index finger down the bridge of her nose and then planted a kiss there as well. Once again, this failed to wake her up, so Caspian tried a different tactic. Leaning down, he held his lips right above hers until he could feel her warm breath on his mouth. Finally, he let their lips meet and almost immediately Susan awoke and returned the kiss, without even opening her eyes. She lifted a hand and slid it behind his head, threading her fingers through his rich, dark hair and pulling him in closer until Caspian was completely on top of her.

Remembering that Aslan was still there, Caspian slowly pulled away, but not before giving her one last quick peck on the lips. Still hovering over her, he smiled as her eyelids slid open to reveal the liquid blue eyes underneath.

"Hello," Caspian whispered, not able to control the grin that had spread clean across his face. Susan smiled back at him remembering the first words they spoke to each other when he came to her world. She didn't know why she had woke up to Caspian kissing her, but she wasn't about to question it either, so she said the first thing that came to mind.

"Hi,"


	16. Night Falls on Narnia

_**Chapter 16: Night Falls on Narnia** _

Susan breathed in deeply the fresh, familiar air of Narnia from her spot on the Western Wall of Miraz's- _Caspian's_ \- Castle. He was in fact the High King and this was his castle now. Smiling to herself, Susan watched as the sun slid down the sky, slowly setting into the horizon. It created a great array of beautiful colors that stretched clear across the sky and blended seamlessly together. It started out dark blue, then turned violet, then a deep red, then bright orange with a tinge of pink, finally ending with the blinding yellow sun.

She shivered at the beauty of it; it couldn't be any more beautiful. London never had sunsets like this; _Earth_ never had sunsets like this. All of sudden a warm pair of arms snaked around her waist, pulling her back against a familiar, toned chest. Sighing happily, Susan leaned back and rested her head against Caspian's shoulder as he placed a soft kiss on her neck. Resting her hands on top of his, Susan laced their fingers together and reminisced about the unbelievable events of earlier that afternoon.

* * *

" _What?" Peter blurted upon hearing that Aslan was returning them to Narnia. Remembering who he was speaking to, Peter quickly rephrased, "I mean, excuse me, sir?"_

" _Narnia needs you, all of you, in this time of turmoil," Aslan replied patiently to the Pevensies and Caspian. Ever since Caspian had awakened her, Susan had clung to him as if he_ _was her lifeline. In a way, he was. Without him, she was certain she wouldn't be here right now. Tightening her hold on his hand, she nuzzled her face into his shoulder, breathing in his scent. At Aslan's mention of turmoil in Narnia though, she perked up and listened intently._

" _What's wrong?" Lucy questioned desperately, the thought of all of those wonderful creatures in Narnia in trouble caused pain to shoot through her heart. She had made many friends in Narnia and if there was any way that she could help them, she would. Turning his giant face to look at the valiant queen, Aslan gazed sadly into her eyes but addressed them all._

" _All is not well with the surrounding lands and you are needed to bring peace once again," Aslan said, crypt as always, "Will you return?"_

" _You mean, we have a choice?" Edmund asked incredulously. When was the last time they got to choose whether they went to Narnia or not? Something was different this time and he didn't know if it was a good thing but he knew that he would give anything to return to Narnia. There people respected him and he felt as if he mattered, like he was making a difference._

" _Nothing ever happens the same way twice, King Edmund. I believe I told all of you, save High King Caspian, that you would never again return to Narnia. Unfortunately, even I could not foresee certain events," Aslan turned his yellow eyes on Susan and Caspian who blushed and smiled sheepishly, unable to meet the piercing gaze of the Great Lion. Did Caspian and Susan's love have something to do with him letting them stay? Whatever the reason, they most certainly weren't going to question Aslan._

" _I'll go," Lucy announced, having difficulty containing her excitement at returning to the place she had spent most of her life. She just hoped that all of the friends she met on her last visit were still alive especially one red dwarf in particular. Looking around at her siblings, Lucy wondered if they felt the same way she did. It would break her heart if they didn't return with her, but she would never be truly happy living in London even if she was with them. Narnia was more of home to her than London ever was or would be._

" _I will too," Edmund affirmed, nodding to his little sister who grinned toothily back at him. Edmund had become rather attached to his younger sister ever since their first trip to Narnia and he would go wherever she went. He had made the mistake of betraying her once; he would not let her down again. Narnia held a special place in his heart as well and he couldn't pass up this chance. The thought of leaving his parents made him a little sad, especially his father, but he knew that he would see them again one day. Even if it was in Aslan's Country._

_Glancing over at Susan and Caspian, who were lost in each other again, Peter knew exactly what she would choose. Peter had learned to trust Caspian with his life and, more_ _importantly, Susan's, but he had his entire family to consider. He had spent this entire summer studying for his A-level exams, trying to lead a normal life and thinking that he would never get a chance to return to Narnia. Now, that he had the chance did he really want to give up his life in London? He already knew the answer, remembering the words of his mother all those years ago at the train station: "Take care of the others." He had no intention of going back on his word now._

" _I will return as well," Peter declared confidently, casting a smile at his siblings. Only one Pevensie had yet to decide._

_Everyone looked over at Susan who had wrapped her arms completely around Caspian at this point. Caspian gazed down at Susan who had nuzzled into his chest and was smiling to herself. The torrent of emotions flowing through Caspian was making it difficult for him to think straight, especially with Susan so close. Would Susan really leave her parents, her friends, her home, her life? Could he ask that of her? She had grown up in London, and while she had lived a good portion of her life in Narnia, did she really feel home there? With him?_

_As if sensing his distress, Susan looked up at him and searched his seemingly endless dark eyes for the source of his unhappiness. She could sense his hesitation at her returning to Narnia, not because he didn't want her there, but because he didn't want her to be unhappy, even if that meant he had to let her go._

" _Susan...," Caspian began quietly, having every intention of discussing this in depth with her first, but she never gave him the chance._

" _I'm going too," Susan stated firmly, looking straight into Caspian's eyes as she said it. The other Pevensies grinned, already knowing what her decision was going to be before she said it, but they were thrilled none the less. Pulling back a bit and holding her at arm's length, Caspian looked into her eyes seriously._

" _Are you sure? What about your parents and home and-," Caspian rambled but never got to finish because he was interrupted by Susan's lips on his. Returning the kiss, he couldn't help the joy that bubbled up from his chest and he didn't really want to. Susan wanted to stay with him! Though he still wanted to make sure that this is what she wanted because he couldn't truly be happy unless she was. This kiss gave him all the answers he needed and assuaged any fears he had._

_Slowly pulling away, Susan snuggled back into her spot in his arms and held him even tighter. Caspian could feel the warmth of her skin through her thin nightgown, but that wasn't good enough. Like he had done right after the first time they had kissed, Caspian placed a light kiss on her bare shoulder and nuzzled his face there._

* * *

Smiling to herself, Susan knew, without a doubt in her mind, that she had made the right choice. Caspian held her tight against his chest and was currently trailing warm kisses up her neck which drove Susan crazy. Reaching a hand up behind her, Susan gently tilted Caspian's face down towards hers and pressed a passionate kiss to his lips. Not satisfied, Caspian turned her around in his arms without breaking the kiss in order to deepen it. Her hands had a mind of their own as they explored his chest and shoulders and eventually weaved their way through his thick hair. Meanwhile, Caspian's hands slid across her nightgowned back until they made their way to the bare skin of her shoulder blades.

Breaking away for air, Caspian rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes in bliss. He was with the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen and she loved him and he loved her. They were finally allowed to be together without having to hide their love for one another. While he knew that there would be many adventures and grief ahead, he couldn't help but be content at this very moment. Susan was with him and they would face whatever came their way _together._ Breathing in deeply the scent that could only be described as Susan's, Caspian remembered their journey back to Narnia.

* * *

" _It is settled then. You shall all return to Narnia and reclaim your thrones with Caspian as High King," Aslan spoke regally to the young kings and queens who stood anxiously in front of him. "You will never return to Earth, do you still accept?"_

_Everyone looked around at each other. While they were happy that they wouldn't have to worry about being sent back as soon as they grew attached to Narnia again, the finality of it made them solemn. Despite this, they all nodded their approval to Aslan._

" _Do not worry young ones. You will be reunited with your parents when it is over, in my country," Aslan affirmed, trying to ease their minds. Satisfied that they were all ready Aslan encouraged them to follow him. Walking through the springy grass they all prepared themselves for the return. Caspian held Susan's hand tightly, refusing to be separated from her. He had no idea how they would be returning and he wanted to be ready for anything. Finally after a few minutes of winding around trees and huge puddles, Aslan stopped in front of one particularly huge puddle which looked about ankle-deep._

" _Once you walk into this pool, you will arrive on the shores at Cair Paravel," Aslan turned to look at them once more. Without a word, Lucy hugged the huge lion around the neck and throwing an excited smile back at her siblings and Caspian walked into the puddle and vanished. Nodding appreciatively at Aslan, Edmund went next, quickly followed by Peter. Next Susan and Caspian, still holding hands tightly, smiled at each other and kissed quickly._

" _Thank you, Aslan," Caspian gratefully said, bowing his head to the Great Lion. He could hardly believe this was really happening and he hoped he didn't wake up anytime soon to find it was all a dream. If it was, he'd have to ask for a lot more than five minutes._

_Aslan gave him an acknowledging nod, but said nothing to the young king. Looking into each other's eyes one last time, Susan and Caspian walked through the pool._

* * *

The sun had set completely in Narnia and Susan shivered a little from a chilly gust that cut through the air. Caspian felt this placed his hands on her bare arms and gently rubbed them to warm her up a bit.

"We should retire. It is getting late and you are cold," Caspian whispered worriedly in her ear causing a shiver that had nothing to do with the cool air.

"I'm fine. Can't we stay here a little longer?" Susan pleaded with him, pouting slightly. This gained her a laugh from Caspian who resumed his hold on her waist and pulled her closer to him to keep her warm. After a moment, his thoughts strayed to his unanswered questions from earlier which were still nagging at his brain. He was certain that she loved him, but could she truly be happy here?

"Susan?" Caspian began cautiously looking down at the top of her head.

"Mhmm?" she mumbled back incoherently, content in his embrace.

"Will you not miss your home?" Caspian was truly concerned about her happiness and it touched Susan to the core, but the answer was in front of both of them. Susan smiled looking up at Caspian's concerned face, and then standing on her tip-toes, she kissed him soundly and said,

"This is home."


End file.
